GREEN BAY — All Evan Williams could do was laugh.

The Green Bay Packers’ self-aware second-year safety has undeniably emerged as one of the defense’s most important players.

But he’s not Micah Parsons, the Packers brightest defensive star whose dressing area is nearby in the Packers’ locker room and has connected with the second-year safety.

So while the Packers athletic training and medical staffs were attending to Parsons, who sustained a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee during last Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos, Williams — having been injured on the same play — was getting slightly less attention.

“The play finished, I’m rolling over. I’m like, ‘Oh my God. I know something happened.’ And then I look up, thinking I’m there’s going to be a couple trainers,” Williams recalled this week in advance of Saturday night’s matchup between the Packers (9-4-1) and Chicago Bears (10-4) at Soldier Field in Chicago. “And there’s one trainer holding a water bottle.

“I’m like, ‘Where’s everybody else?’ And there’s 15 in a circle all around Micah. I was like, ‘Oh, damn.’”

Williams said he sustained the injury while fending off a Broncos blocker and was rolled up on from behind. He said the team’s medical staff diagnosed him with an injury to his MCL, and he is listed as questionable for Saturday night.

“It’s definitely a balance,” Williams said of the decision whether to play or acknowledge that he needs time to recover from an injury that can sideline players from 3 to 6 weeks. “You need to know what could happen. What’s the real risk factor looking like? Is it just a pain tolerance type of thing? Or is it something that can seriously affect your future if you don’t take it seriously? Knees are definitely something you just want to be really smart with.

“As the season gets down the line, there’s going to be some key games that I want to be a part of. So it’s just finding a balance between being smart and obviously going if you feel 100%.”

Williams did not practice on Thursday, after admitting it would be difficult for him to play without any practice work at all.

“It would be hard for me to say that, if I didn’t get any practice reps,” Williams said. “It would be hard to say that I’m a full go. I’m definitely somebody that likes to get those reps under my belt and feel confident when I’m on the field, that I’ll be able to do all the movements that I’m doing in practice. So, likely not. But, I mean, anything can happen.”

With Williams unlikely to play, the Packers could start Zayne Anderson, who took over against the Broncos after Williams’ injury, or shift Javon Bullard to safety from his usual slot corner position in the nickel defense. Nate Hobbs would then move into the nickelback spot.

“I thought Zayne did a really nice job in the game,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who also pointed out how Anderson started one game last year against the New Orleans Saints and had an interception in the Packers’ 34-0 win. “Zayne’s a guy who’s played great on special teams. Zayne’s a guy who’s smart. He’s been in the league for a while. If Evan cannot go, I have confidence in Zayne.”

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