When the Green Bay Packers lost Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone, much of the NFL wondered whether his season was over. Ron Rivera was convinced the All-Pro quarterback would return.
According to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Rivera said he always anticipated preparing for Rodgers being available as soon as possible.
“Everybody knew from the beginning that he was coming back for our game.”
Rivera added he expects Rodgers will be “on his game” and that the Panthers must approach preparation under that belief.
As cautiously as the Packers would prefer Rodgers play, that’s probably not going to happen once he’s in the moment. The veteran is lethal in rhythm, but he’s a creative scrambler, too. Rodgers likely won’t let the fear of re-injury affect his mindset.
After all, this is truly a must-win game for both sides.
Should Green Bay lose, it’ll drop to 7-7 and basically be eliminated from playoff contention this season. Conversely, a victory would put immense pressure on Carolina to avoid another loss. Tiebreakers would not favor the Panthers, especially if they fall to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16.
The Packers must run the table to have a chance, so Rodgers isn’t going to hold anything back. And it’s clear Rivera expected this exact situation all along.