Aaron Rodgers needed only one knee to torture the Vikings defense

For all the talk about Aaron Rodgers not practicing this week, or being on a short leash for Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, it was the same old Green Bay Packers pushing their opponent to the limit and then some in Week 2.

Officially, the game ended in a 29-29 tie. For the Packers it meant a whole lot more. Rodgers orchestrated his usual late-game heroics and put Green Bay in position to win. If not for a missed field goal from Mason Crosby at the end of regulation, Rodgers would’ve been canonized.

Instead the Packers will take a 1-0-1 record into Week 3 with the knowledge that even with one leg, their franchise quarterback can still make the necessary plays.

Packers game plan for Rodgers

Working largely out of the shotgun, Rodgers broke out all his usual moves — dancing around the pocket, rolling out to sidelines and firing passes on the run. Not even a bulky brace on his left knee slowed him down.

Of his 30 passes, Rodgers tossed 27 of them from shotgun formations – Green Bay lined up in the shotgun 51 times total. In all, he finished with 281 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. That’s good for a 97.4 quarterback rating.

Rodgers did this on one knee. In a division rivalry game. Against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Consider that most reports had Rodgers’ knee injury pegged for a months-long recovery. Yet there was Rodgers airing it out like normal. His longest pass of the day went for 34 yards, but Green Bay was taking deep shots over and over.

And it wasn’t like Minnesota was taking it easy on the quarterback, either. Rodgers was sacked four times for a loss of 28 yards total. The Vikings knew better than to sit back against a wounded passer.

That plan seemed to work until it didn’t. Because even with all the pressure on Green Bay’s offense, it was the Vikings who couldn’t move the ball when it mattered most. Late interceptions and poor kicking kept Minnesota from what could have been a monumental victory in the NFC North.

Questionable call gives Vikings an extra life

Well before this game was on its way to a thrilling overtime, the Packers were convinced they already had it won. On the final Vikings possession in regulation, Kirk Cousins threw what appeared to be his second consecutive interception. With about 90 seconds left to play, that would have been the game. Except a late flag came in penalizing Clay Matthews for roughing the passer. Cousins had just let go of the ball when Matthews tackled him, but Matthews fell on top of Cousins with his full body weight and gave the referees enough of a reason to throw the flag.

That set the Vikings on course for an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with Cousins finding wideout Adam Thielen 22 yards down the field and threading a pass between two defenders as Thielen collapsed into the end zone. A Stefon Diggs two-point conversion knotted everything up at 29 and put the game on course for overtime.

Looking ahead to Packers in Week 3

The Packers will hit the road for the first time this season when they travel east to face Washington at FedEx Field next week. Unless there’s new, significant damage to his leg, it’s clear we’ll get the same song and dance from Green Bay.

Expect Rodgers’ practice schedule to get scaled back again and prepare for head coach Mike McCarthy to claim he’s not ready to name a starter until game day. Rodgers will be labeled questionable all week while both teams prepare for the possibility of backup DeShone Kizer starting for the Packers.

And by now football fans should know better. Rodgers can do what most quarterbacks can’t with one arm tied behind his back. There’s no reason to believe that doesn’t hold true for his knees until he proves it.

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee

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