Aaron Rodgers Injury: Green Bay Packers participates in individual drills
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws a pass during warmups prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Although the chance is extremely slim, the chance still exists that Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers is healthy enough to face the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Rodgers’s importance to the Packers has always been extremely high, and that’s something that has never been questioned. But since he went down with the broken collarbone, we’ve seen just how important Rodgers is to this team. I mean, they couldn’t even beat the Minnesota Vikings without him, which is definitely a sad result to see. The Detroit Lions are definitely a bigger- and more important- division test on Thanksgiving than the Vikings, but the Lions certainly aren’t infallible; just look at who they lost to last week.
It’s highly unlikely that Rodgers ends up playing this week, especially since the most prudent course of action is to have Rodgers rest as much as possible. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and the fact that the Packers could only muster a 26-26 tie with the Vikings last week increases the Packers desperation to make the playoffs. They obviously don’t want to jeopardize anything with their elite QB, especially due to the volatility of collarbone injuries. Yet, they also know that Aaron Rodgers is incredibly good and important, and the Packers upcoming game is very important, especially with the dicey nature of their playoff odds.
So this latest news coming out of Green Bay is definitely excellent news, as Packers official site beat writer Mike Spofford reports that Aaron Rodgers is doing individual drills at practice today and is in uniform. He’s throwing short passes, handing the ball off to an “RB”, and doing all the footwork motions. This is great news for Packers fans, as Rodgers is back on the field on the right track.
But nobody can exaggerate this news, because it’s definitely no indication that Rodgers will play on Thursday against the Lions. It means that he’s closer to returning, but that’s all it means. Quarterbacks ideally need much more time to practice before returning than players at other positions, because the last thing you want is to have your QB coming in with cold feet. Rodgers is so good that this is less of a concern, but the status of his injury is definitely of utmost concern. Since it is extremely doubtful that he’s actually participating in team drills, it seems like he will most likely be back next week against the Atlanta Falcons. For now, let’s just hope that he continues to progress well, and let’s also hope that the defense and Matt Flynn hold up (especially the defense, as they are going up against Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford).