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          Stomach flu knocks Bryan Bulaga off his feet, which could help his ankle

          It's unclear if Bryan Bulaga, shown here during the preseason, will play in Week 2. Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
          • Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff WriterSep 15, 2017, 07:40 PM
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              Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA. You can follow him on Twitter at @RobDemovsky.
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          GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Bryan Bulaga may have discovered a new remedy for a sprained ankle: the stomach flu.

          The Green Bay Packers right tackle spent most of this week at home recovering from his illness, which meant he didn't put any unnecessary stress on the right ankle injury that kept him out of last week's regular-season opener.

          "The ankle is getting better," Bulaga said Friday. "As time passes, I feel like it's getting stronger, it's getting better. So kneeling on the ground, throwing up might've helped it."

          That could be good news for his availability on Sunday, when the Packers play at the Atlanta Falcons. Bulaga isn’t the only concern on their offensive line. Left tackle David Bakhtiari has been limited in practice all week because of a hamstring injury he suffered in the fourth quarter on Sunday against the Seahawks. Both starting tackles are listed as questionable for Sunday night.

          Bulaga rolled his right ankle in practice on Aug. 23 and said the next day that he was hopeful he could play in the season opener, but as last week progressed it became clear he wasn’t ready.

          "Didn't have a setback," he said. "[The injury occurred] only three weeks [ago] from Wednesday, so I don't think I've had a setback. I felt like we had pretty steady progression. When it happened, I just had a ton of swelling. More swelling than I've had in a sprained ankle. So it was the fact of trying to push all that swelling out, and the amount of time that we had just to get it ready from moving and seeing the trainers, having the trainers see me move and my feedback with them and Dr. [Pat] McKenzie. They just decided -- not really me, more them -- they kind of decided just probably that week wouldn't be ready to go."

          Coach Mike McCarthy said Friday that he probably won't have a feel for Bulaga's status until Sunday because he hasn't practiced yet this week.

          At least the flu seems to be behind Bulaga.

          "It's been a rough few days," he said. "Body is finally getting back a little bit. It was rough. A lot of time in the bathroom. So getting better. It's a good day to have off today to kind of get back to work, because just couldn't, flu-like symptoms, whatever it was I had, I couldn't even stand up and walk around. It was pretty bad."