Watch the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Patriots and Packers on NBC10, or click here for the livestream.
FOXBORO -- When Sony Michel went down in a heap in Chicago, he said he wasn't thinking about his future.
- MORE PATRIOTS - Gronk back at practice
"I was just worrying about the moment," he said. "I wasn't too concerned about the future because, you know, I didn't know what happened. Me, I was just focused on getting off the field and trying to feel better."
So far so good, it seems. The Patriots rookie running back returned to practice last weekend and has been present for all three practices leading up to the matchup with the Packers on Sunday night. He's been limited with a knee injury, but seems to be trending in the right direction.
"Physically I just feel like I've been doing what the training room has been giving me to do," Michel said. "I don't know. It's up to the training room staff and the coaches to kind of make that decision."
Would he like to play?
"It all depends on Coach [Bill Belichick] and his decision," Michel said, "whatever that is."
- MORE PATRIOTS - How can Pats defense contain Aaron Rodgers?
But what if it was up to him?
New England Patriots
Find the latest New England Patriots news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
"If it was up to me? Yeah," Michel said. "For these teammates, I would do whatever it takes. If I had one leg, I'd still be out there trying to fight for these guys. I'm around a great group of guys so I would do anything for these guys."
Michel indicated that he's feeling "pretty good" on Friday. If he's able to play, he'd a group that has been manned by James White, Kenjon Barner and Cordarrelle Patterson (making the switch from receiver to back against the Bills) in recent weeks.
When he was injured against the Bears, having his left knee twisted awkwardly on the first play of the second quarter, Michel was coming off of three consecutive games of hitting the 100-yards-from-scrimmage mark.
To then be forced to miss time -- as he did through much of camp when he dealt with a knee injury -- has made for a tough road in his first pro season.
"It's what I expected," he said. "Ups and downs. You're going to go through times when it's not going so good. You just gotta keep fighting, gotta keep pushing. That's life."
That he's able to practice, and that he may be able to play Sunday night, is enough for Michel to take an optimistic view of what he's been through.
- MORE PATRIOTS-PACKERS: Collinsworth: No easy answer to Brady-Rodgers debate
"I'm very fortunate," he said, "just to be given another chance to play football again."
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.