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Packers linebacker Clay Matthews showed something he hadn’t in a while during Wednesday’s practice — his fingers.

Gone was the big protective club that he wore in last week’s game, replaced by a smaller brace that will still protect his broken thumb, but give him a little more freedom.

“Based on the doctor’s report, he’s able to now, I don’t even know what the term is,” coach Mike McCarthy said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I think this is a normal path. It starts to decrease each week.”

By the time he plays Sunday, he’ll be six weeks out from the original injury. Playing with a smaller brace can’t hurt, as he wasn’t particularly effective last week playing one-handed.