Even on one leg, Aaron Rodgers drags Packers back into the playoff race
The Green Bay Packers turned in a dominant performance in their convincing win over the Seattle Seahawks, which should give credence to the idea that they can rally and perhaps even win the NFC North.
But what about Aaron Rodgers’ hamstring injury? And did it get worse on Sunday?
Rodgers turned in a mostly brilliant performance in the Packers’ 38-10 victory despite limping around against an Earl Thomas-less Seahawks defense. But the injury (actually injuries) appeared to get worse throughout the game, which put Green Bay over .500 for the first time since Week 7.
Coming into the game, Rodgers was bothered by a left hamstring ailment he suffered in the win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He stayed in through the third quarter Sunday before giving way to backup Brett Hundley. But before leaving it almost looked like he was favoring his right leg as well, and he said after the game that he seemed to aggravate his calf during the game.
Ty Montgomery and Randall Cobb both got banged up as well in this game. The Packers might not be at full health, but they’re playing some of their best ball of the season when it counts most.
Rodgers finished 18-of-23 passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns. He ran only three times (for minus-six yards) after saying last week the hamstring was tweaked when he tried to run around too much against the Eagles.
The Packers’ defense also stepped up in a major way. A unit that was routinely getting torched during the middle third of the season has bounced back the past three games, allowing a total of 36 points. They had allowed 30 or more in five of the six games prior to this recent stretch, including 47 and 42 in Weeks 10 and 11. #FireDomCapers has gone a bit silent of late.
Through the first 12 games, the Packers had only eight interceptions; on Sunday, they collected five — with a little help from the Seahawks. Five different Packers picked off Russell Wilson, but unlike the four-INT game they forced on him in the 2014 NFC championship game, the Packers dominated this one start to finish with no threat of a comeback from the Seahawks.
Morgan Burnett’s pick and 19-yard return set up a Packers touchdown for a 14-3 lead, and Damarious Randall’s goal-line INT saved points 34 seconds before halftime and maintained a 21-3 Green Bay lead. And just when the Seahawks got back a tiny bit of momentum midway through the fourth, Micah Hyde’s INT off a Seahawks dropped pass sealed it.
Wilson had thrown more than two interceptions in a regular-season game only once in 76 games coming into Sunday.
Wilson’s receivers left him down with multiple drops, but the Packers got after the former University of Wisconsin QB and made his afternoon miserable. It’s exactly the kind of team defense the Packers were not getting earlier this season and precisely what could help set up a terrific showdown for the NFC North title with a Week 17 game against the first-place Detroit Lions.
But is Rodgers healthy? We’ve seen him affected by injuries down the stretch in the 2013 and ’14 seasons, and the Packers came up short in the playoffs. This time they need to play their way in with a crowded field — and might need to win out to have a shot to get in.
The way Rodgers is playing right now, healthy or otherwise, is giving them a shot. Adding in a revived defense makes the Packers even more dangerous. But will it be too late?
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
