The Green Bay Packers moved one step closer to making their slim playoff hopes become a reality. They picked up a victory over the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day, heading on the road and winning 26-20. Not only did they handle business, but every team that they needed help from also did their part.
The New York Giants, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions, the four teams the Packers are facing off with in the Wild Card race, all lost in Week 16. That greatly improved Green Bay’s chances of making the postseason, as the Commanders just have to lose one more game in addition to winning their final two games.
Green Bay will continue its quest this week when they host the Minnesota Vikings. But, things will be a little tougher as quarterback Aaron Rodgers is dealing with yet another injury. This has been a tough season from that standpoint for the future Hall of Famer, who broke his thumb in Week 5 against the New York Giants and suffered an injury to his ribs against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12.
The latest injury came during the second quarter against the Dolphins. While being sacked by safety Eric Rowe, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins fell on top of him, causing him to get banged up again.
“I got a lot of body weight on my knee,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “Had some extra flexion I haven’t known for the last 20 years. So just been doing rehab the last few days and feeling a lot better.”
Rodgers sat out practice on Wednesday, but he is expecting to get out there in some capacity before the week is over. While any more injuries would certainly be a detriment, it didn’t seem to have too much of a negative impact on his performance against the Dolphins as he finished the game strongly.
Playing through injuries and pain is nothing new for Rodgers, who had to battle a broken toe during the second half of the 2021 campaign. Coming off one of his better games of the season against Miami, Rodgers will be looking to ride the wave of positivity against a Vikings team that handled the Packers with ease in Week 1, winning 23-7.
