Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers left the team’s Week 12 game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter with a hip injury and did not return.
Per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Rodgers told reporters that he was concerned about potentially suffering a punctured lung, but he fortunately avoided that. The four-time league MVP hopes to play in Sunday’s Week 13 game against the Chicago Bears.
A prominent orthopedic surgeon believes it could be a similar injury to what Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers suffered back in Week 2. Herbert fortunately didn’t have to miss any games despite the pain.
Dr. David Chao, who worked as an NFL team doctor for 17 years, stated on his Twitter account that he believes Rodgers may have suffered rib cartilage injury.
Rodgers, who hasn’t missed a game due to injury since 2017, is also dealing with an avulsion fracture in his thumb. The back-to-back league MVP is struggling this season with just 2,682 passing yards and 21 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
The soon-to-be 39-year-old was limited to seven games in 2017 because of a fractured collarbone, and the Packers collapsed without him, finishing 7-9 on the year. Four years earlier, Rodgers suffered a collarbone fracture that kept him out of action for nine games.
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Rodgers, of course, memorably returned for the team’s Week 17 game against the rival Chicago Bears with the NFC North crown on the line. He threw a late touchdown pass to Randall Cobb on fourth down to help Green Bay sneak away with the division.
The Packers jumped out to a promising 3-1 start, but they proceeded to lose seven of their next eight games. With the playoff hopes all but over, many are calling for them to shut down Rodgers for the final five games, and to let Jordan Love finish out the year.
