Aaron Rodgers expressed no doubts that he will play in Week 2 after he led the Green Bay Packers to a remarkable comeback win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, but the team continues to take a more cautious approach.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday that Rodgers would work on strengthening his knee rather than practicing. While he did not say that means Rodgers is in danger of missing Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, he sounded less certain than the quarterback.
Asked if it’s encouraging Rodgers at least can do rehab work, McCarthy says “absolutely”. But won’t say if Rodgers may practice at all this week. “We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 12, 2018
As far as Mike Zimmer is concerned, there is no way Rodgers is missing Sunday’s divisional matchup. When asked if his team is preparing as though Rodgers is going to start, the Vikings coach offered a great quote.
#Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on if he’s preparing for Aaron Rodgers to start for #Packers: “Yeah. He walks on water so I’m sure he’s gonna play.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 12, 2018
While the Packers aren’t going to take any chances, it seems unlikely that Rodgers will sit out. If his injury was anything even remotely serious, he would not have returned to Sunday’s game. Even though the way a defender landed on him looked ugly, Rodgers was healthy enough to throw three touchdown passes in the second half. He doesn’t need many reps in practice to be able to play in Week 2.
