Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was clearly hobbled in Week 15’s win over the Chicago Bears. But he anticipates being ready to roll in Week 16’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
“I would assume, based on how I felt after the game, that I’ll be closer to 100 percent than I was in the Chicago game,” Rodgers said, per Rob Demovsky, ESPN.
This is consistent with what coach Mike McCarthy said about his quarterback, which you can read about here.
The injury didn’t keep Rodgers from being great when he needed to be against the Bears. Despite being hobbled, Rodgers still found the strength to fire a perfect 60-yard-pass to Jordy Nelson (which you can watch here), to set up the game winning field goal.
Rodgers added that the problems in Week 15 didn’t come when he was under pressure. Instead, the pain was greatest when he was entering and exiting the field.
“[That] was actually more painful than the quick moments,” he said, per Demovsky.
A Packers loss, coupled with a Detroit Lions win will take Green Bay out of NFC North contention.
The wild card race is only slightly more forgiving. The Packers are currently tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the final playoff spot, but Tampa holds the tiebreaker. The Washington Redskins are also only one-half game behind both teams. Even a loss to the seemingly out of it Vikings would draw Minnesota and Green Bay even, with the Vikings owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Packers will certainly need Rodgers at his best if they’re going to make the playoffs.