Green Bay Packers: Brett Hundley needs to step up with Rodgers out

With Aaron Rodgers out for the rest of the season, now is Brett Hundley’s time to shine as the Green Bay Packers close out the remainder of the season.

The Green Bay Packers were officially eliminated from playoff contention following their loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. As a result, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been shut down too. On Tuesday, the Packers announced they put Rodgers on IR, and signed quarterback Joe Callahan back to the active roster.

Former UCLA product Brett Hundley will take over the starting job under center. From here on out, the Packers have a divisional slate ahead, as they take on the Vikings and Lions in the final two games of the season.

Rodgers tried valiantly to put on a good show Sunday, but he just did not look himself. He completed 57.8 percent of his passes, and threw three interceptions. He finished the game 26-of-45 throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns in addition to the interceptions.

For the Packers, there are some positives to this. As far as weekly game-planning, they now know what to expect with Hundley. All things considered, he has had a decent season filling in for an injured Rodgers. He has appeared in nine games, starting seven of them. Boasting a 63.9 completion percentage, he has thrown for 1,534 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has also shown a bit of elusiveness when running the ball, carrying it 28 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

In his last start, Hundley showed tremendous poise as he and the Packers defeated the Cleveland Browns, 27-21 in what was a heartbreaking defeat for the latter. He went 36-of-45 for 265 yards and three touchdowns. His 111.2 quarterback rating for the game was his highest of the season.

The Cleveland game was encouraging to say the least as it was a continuation of recent success. He had another start against the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he performed well throwing for 245 yards and three touchdowns. However, there have been some games where he has struggled such as an Oct. 15 matchup against the Vikings in which he threw three interceptions, or a Nov. 19 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in which he threw three picks as well.

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As far as the long-term ramifications for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers probably is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Now, he can use the extra time to heal and get ready for the 2018 season. Hundley now has several games of experience under his belt and will be an asset for the Packers in case they need him, especially if Rodgers get hurt again. Ideally, that will not happen, but it is better to be safe than sorry.