The Green Bay Packers were able to solidify the No. 1 seed in the NFC and with that comes a much-needed bye week. As they sit back and watch the rest of the conference duke it out during Super Wild Card Weekend, they'll be able to rest up for whoever makes their way into the divisional round. Naturally, the week off is beneficial for teams as various injured players can get a bit healthier over the stretch and that appears to include quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers star has been dealing with a toe injury for the majority of the second half of the season but is inching back to full strength. Rodgers noted that he is no longer taking pain-killing injections on that toe to help him play and anticipates being 100% by the time Green Bay hits the field next week.
"I haven't taken one in a number of weeks now, so that's been the most encouraging thing," Rodgers said Wednesday, via NFL.com. "Got through last week without doing one. It was just a pretty standard shot in the toe, very painful, a numbing agent. That helped get me through the games. The whole goal was to be able to not have to do that. It's been a few games without doing that. So I'm feeling good, practiced today, close to 100%. I think I should be 100% by next week."
Rodgers fractured his pinky toe back in November and has been battling the injury ever since. That said, the injury hasn't taken away from his ability to play at a high level as he is the current betting favorite to win the NFL MVP for a second consecutive year. The 38-year-old has been particularly sharp to end the year. Since the Week 13 bye, Rodgers has completed roughly 75% of his passes for 247.4 passing yards per game, 14 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The fact that he was able to do that at less than 100% is a scary proposition for the rest of the conference heading into the divisional round.
