Rodgers could be packing it in for year

Another week, another decision. Somehow it isn’t getting much easier to decide whether to risk the health of Aaron Rodgers Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings.

This time, the answer is likely to depend more on the Green Bay Packers’ playoff chances. A week ago, the Packers were in a “run the table and hope for help” playoff situation as they contemplated whether to medically clear Rodgers for the first time since he underwent surgery Oct. 19 for a broken collarbone.

The decision now hinges in part on what happened Monday, when an Atlanta Falcons victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would have eliminated the Packers from the NFC playoff picture.

It is of no small consequence that the Packers’ opponent is the Vikings, the team responsible for sending Rodgers off to surgery. Spite and revenge are no reasons to risk the health of the two-time NFL MVP, no matter how badly he may want to play.

Rodgers’ body of work Sunday against the Panthers isn’t conclusive evidence that he’s ready to face the Vikings, who have the NFL’s No. 2 defence.

He showed flashes of returning to form in the loss Sunday to Carolina, but he also showed a lot of rust. He took hits, but there were way too many of them.

He was blitzed 31 times, the most in a game in his career, according to ESPN. He wasn’t reluctant to run, taking off six times and gaining 43 yards, but every tackle was worrisome. Overall, he completed 26 of 45 passes for 290 yards, but many of his passes fell short of the mark. The result? His first three-interception game since 2009, as well as a three-touchdown performance. Against a defence ranked fifth in the league, he showed signs of rust and an inability to find a rhythm.