Aaron Rodgers on injury: I plan on playing this week

Nov 29, 2022 - 6:38 PM

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On Monday, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was non-commital on the status of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who left Sunday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles with what was officially called an obliques injury. After the game, Rodgers stated that he was worried that he had a punctured lung or broken ribs, but that X-rays in the locker room were inconclusive on what his injury actually was.

LaFleur stated that Rodgers was feeling better on Monday but that there were more scans to be done, as “there’s stuff that doesn’t show up on all of the scans.” Now 24 hours later, it appears Rodgers had gotten the green light to suit up against the Chicago Bears this weekend.

On The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said, “I got good news with the scans yesterday, so I plan on playing this week.” This means Packers fans will have to wait at least another week to get an extended look at former first-round pick Jordan Love, who completed six-of-nine passes for 113 yards and a touchdown off the bench against the Eagles. Acme Packing Company’s own Tyler Brooke has a full breakdown of Love’s performance that you can read here.

In the post-game presser, Rodgers stated that he would like to start under center, if he’s cleared medically, at least until the team is mathematically eliminated from the playoff race. The Packers are still “in the hunt” despite having just a three percent chance to make the postseason, according to FiveThirtyEight’s NFL model.

When LaFleur was asked about giving Love some playing time down the stretch of the season, the head coach replied, “We have not even gone down that road.” He also said that the team is taking a one-game-at-a-time approach and wouldn’t comment on if Love could start games if and when the Packers are eliminated from the playoff hunt.

Beyond Rodgers’ undisclosed “obliques” injury, he is also playing through a broken thumb that has plagued him since Week 6 against the New York Giants in London, when he was injured on a Hail Mary attempt. Who knows how many more games Rodgers will play in 2022, but he seems adamant to start against the Bears on Sunday.