The (5-6) Green Bay Packers’ playoff hopes are still alive, but they need backup quarterback Brett Hundley to win a game or two so the team can get off the schneid. The Packers have lost their last two games, and five of their last six, which has prompted many fans to wonder when Aaron Rodgers could potentially return to the football field.
It may be sooner than later, which is good news for the team.
Rodgers broke his collarbone in a Week 6 matchup with the Vikings, and could return to game action as early as Week 15. Furthermore, he’s eligible to come off injured reserve as early as Friday. The Packers, however, don’t practice that day, but Rodgers could potentially return on Saturday for a throwing session. Head coach Mike McCarthy was asked about it on Monday, and he didn’t rule out Rodgers coming off injured reserve on Saturday.
“We’ll see,” McCarthy said, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “I mean, he’s still going through – there’s a protocol, there’s targets we’re trying to hit each and every week. I think they’re working (on it), and it’s segmented. The A-No. 1 priority is to get him healthy. Practice is not something we’re really focused on right now.”
McCarthy then added that Rodgers is working hard to recover from his injury.
“I’m more focused on game planning for the Buccaneers,” he said. “There’s a plan laid out for Aaron, just like the other guys on IR. He’s knocking it out of the park, he’s going at it 120 miles an hour. We’ll see what the end of the week brings.”
If Rodgers does come off injured reserve on Saturday, it seems likely that he would be on track to play in Week 15. Assuming the team can remain in playoff contention, they’ll certainly need him, as that portion of their schedule is brutal. The Packers finish the season playing at Carolina, at home against Minnesota and at Detroit. That’s a tough schedule for any signal-caller, and it’s unlikely that Hundley would be able to have a lot of success against three stout defenses.
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