MONDAY NIGHT PREVIEW
At Lambeau Field, Green Bay, 5:30 p.m., TSN
Let’s check in on Aaron Rodgers, five weeks after he suffered a strained medial collateral ligament (MCL) and bone bruising in his left knee.
Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers play host to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
The Packers are undoubtedly disappointed to be 2-2-1, tied with Minnesota in second place in the NFC North behind the Chicago Bears.
Since returning heroic ally for the second half of the opener against Chicago and leading Green Bay to a historic comeback victory over the Bears, Rodgers has kept on playing, as he vowed that night he would.
Smart? Dumb? Courageous? Outrageous? Doesn’t matter what we think. He vowed he’d play through the pain, and has.
But is the Packers pilot passing as prolifically and precisely as predictable? Not really, no.
Rodgers still is avoiding interceptions as much as ever: Entering Week 6 he’s tied for second in the league in fewest picks (one), behind the yet-to-be-intercepted Drew Brees. But get this: Rodgers ranks 10 thin passer rating (100.1), eighth in pass yards (1,572), 15th in yards-per-attempt (7.56), 24th in completion percentage (63.0) and is tied for 12th in touchdown passes (10).
There was concern this week that the minor knee setback Rodgers suffered last week could impact his play in the short-term, or even prevent him from suiting up altogether against the Niners.
Don’t worry about that. He’s going back to wearing a bigger brace, as he did in the first few games after the injury, and should be good to go.