Rodgers not at full throttle for Pack
Let’s check in on Aaron Rodgers, five weeks after he suffered a strained medial collateral ligament and bone bruising in his left knee.
Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers play host Monday to the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers are undoubtedly disappointed to be 2-2-1 and in second place in the NFC North behind the Chicago Bears (3-2-0) and Minnesota Vikings (32-1).
Since returning heroically 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.
Smart? Dumb? Courageous? Outrageous? Doesn’t matter what we think. He vowed he’d play through the pain and has.
But is the Packers pivot passing as prolifically and precisely as predicted? Not really.
Rodgers still is avoiding interceptions as much as ever: entering Week 6 he was tied for second in the league in fewest picks (one) behind Drew Brees. But get this. Rodgers ranks 10th in passer rating (100.1), eighth in pass yards (1,572), 15th in yards per attempt (7.56), 24th in completion percentage (63) and is tied for 12th in touchdown passes (10).
Unfamiliar statistical territory for the two-time league MVP, for sure.
There was ample concern this week the minor knee setback Rodgers suffered last week could affect 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 and should be good to go, according to David Chao, former longtime team physician of the Chargers, who analyzes sports injuries for the media.
“I actually think (Rodgers’ injury) is getting better,” Chao told SiriusXM NFL Radio Sunday morning. “He is scrambling, he was taking snaps under centre last week, when he hadn’t been.
“Yeah, he’s going to use that bigger brace. I don’t think it’s going to be a huge deal. (It’s) a fairly minor setback. He’s 100 per cent going to play.”
Chao added that, barring any further setback, he expects Rodgers to be fully healed from the injury come mid-November.
As for the Packers’ slower-than-usual start overall, Rodgers said Thursday, “I told you guys (in) Week 1, it’s going to be a work in progress. I don’t feel like we’re far off.
“We’re very close to getting things going and like I said (in 2016), I’ll say again now: I feel like if we can get off to a better start on offence, it makes the entire squad play with a different type of confidence. We need to lead from the front as an offence. Now, we need to execute at a higher level, but we’re not far off.”
A banged-up receiving corps also is playing a big role in Green Bay’s offensive sputtering.
Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison are listed as questionable to play against San Francisco with hamstring injuries.