Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks to the Washington Football Team sideline during a game at Lambeau Field on October 24, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been playing through a considerable amount of pain for the last several weeks.
It’s a burden he will have to endure for several more, as Rodgers has decided to forego surgery on his injured pinkie toe until the end of the season. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter broke the news on Sunday morning, December 12.
“Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ toe injury is expected to last for the remainder of the season, per sources,” Schefter reported. “One source told ESPN that doctors can’t completely numb the fractured pinkie toe because Rodgers has to feel his foot to throw — otherwise it drags and he cant feel it plant. If Rodgers had elected to undergo surgery during the season, the operation would have required a pin be placed in his toe — and the three-time league MVP can’t play with the pin. Rodgers therefore will delay his decision to have surgery until after the season, if it even is needed at that time.”
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Initially, Rodgers noted that the toe surgery would be minor enough that he wouldn’t miss time.
However, the latest report by Schefter indicates that while the pain and recovery from the said surgery may not have limited the quarterback’s ability to play, the impact of the operation would have forced him to the sideline anyway.
Bye Week Beneficial for Rodgers’ Health as Packers Push for #1 Seed
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers, of the Green Bay Packers, during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2021. The Packers defeated the Cardinals 24-21.
At least part of Rodgers’ decision to tough out his toe injury through the rest of the season involved the Packers’ fortuitously timed bye in Week 13.
“I’ve got to see how it reacts on Sunday when I get back out there and play,” Rodgers told reporters of his condition earlier this week. “But this was really, really positive — the time to heal and not doing anything for now going on 10 days. That’s been really, really helpful. So we’re hoping that we can get on the other side of this.”
Packers fans are hoping that as well, as Green Bay has positioned itself to make a play for the top seed in the NFC — an achievement that would get Rodgers and his toe another week off six weeks from now, while the rest of the NFC field battles for the right to march on.
The Packers, currently the conference’s No. 2 seed, trail the Arizona Cardinals by one game in the standings. Green Bay holds the tiebreaker between the two teams due to a head-to-head victory in Glendale in late October.
The Packers host the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football this week, while the Cardinals will host the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.
Rodgers Has Legitimate MVP Case, Despite Injury
GettyAaron Rodgers, of the Green Bay Packers, reacts as he walks off the field following the team’s win against the Detroit Lions during a game at Lambeau Field on September 20, 2021.
Despite the pain from his toe injury, Rodgers has made a solid MVP case this year.
As of December 12, FanDuel’s MVP odds have Rodgers listed as +600 to win the award, currently slotting him behind just one other NFL player. He remains a distant second to Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady, who is listed at +150, making him four times more likely than Rodgers to claim MVP with five games yet to play in the regular season.
The MVP odds improved for both Rodgers and Brady after the Buffalo Bills fell to the New England Patriots by a score of 14-10 last week, and quarterback Josh Allen subsequently fell from second-place (+420) to sixth-place (+1,500). Before last week’s games, Brady was +300 to win the award, while Rodgers was +650.
Through 12 games of the Packers’ season, 11 of which he has played, Rodgers has completed 66.2% of his passes and amassed 2,878 yards. He has thrown 23 touchdown passes and just 4 interceptions, per Pro Football Reference. Rodgers has also rushed for 76 yards and 3 scores this season.