Aaron Rodgers Set to Return, Green Bay Aims at Playoffs.

Right when you think it is safe in the water, Aaron Rodgers returns from injury. Aaron Rodgers has finally been medically cleared to return to the starting line up for the Green Bay Packers, seven weeks removed from a fractured collarbone that looked like it would cost the Packers their playoff aspirations. Brett Hundley, a new backup, was thrust into the starting role and he did just enough to keep Green Bay’s playoff hopes alive. Now, Rodgers will be looking to take the field when the Packers take on the Carolina Panthers.

It was October 15th in a game against the Minnesota Vikings, the current leaders of the NFC North, when Rodger’s electric start came to a shocking halt. Rodgers was smashed on a hard hit by Minnesota’s Anthony Barr and his collarbone was immediately rushed. Rodgers was put into surgery and given a recovery schedule that would potentially have him back in time, if Green Bay were still competitive. Rodgers would stick to his rehab schedule and be seen throwing hail mary’s in practice back on December 2nd. Now, ten days later, Rodgers has gotten the green light from his doctors and the Packer organization. Rodgers will be taking over for a Green Bay team that managed to grab a pair of emotional and important victories over the past two weeks. Hundley did his part, now Rodgers will be tasked with finishing the job.

Rodgers just turned 34 but he is no stranger to coming back and succeeding despite all of the odds. Last year, Rodgers famously promised that Green Bay would ‘run the table’ in order to sneak into the postseason — and that is exactly what they did. You could even go back to 2013 when Rodgers suffered the same injury, breaking his collarbone, before missing seven games. Rodgers would return after the Packers went 2 – 4 – 1 in order to lead the team to a playoff berth against the Chicago Bears in the last week of the regular season.

While still a longshot, Green Bay has a very real chance to once again become a late-season threat to some of the top teams in the NFL> Left tackle David Bakhtiari says, “We’ve got a chance. We know what the magic number is. We still have everything in front of us.” Bakhtiari’s optimism should be echoed by Green Bay fans everywhere and we expect that optimism to turn into victories once Rodgers is back on the field.