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The Kansas City Chiefs Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium just got a bit easier in wake of news regarding star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 and has been ruled out for the matchup against Kansas City, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
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Rodgers: Vaccinated or Unvaccinated?
Confusion set in following the news. Why? Because being ruled out this early in the week would hint at Rodgers being unvaccinated, which would make the protocols for him to return to action much stricter. However, Rodgers had said on August 26 that he was “immunized,” which means, by the Center for Disease Control’s definition, that he’s vaccinated.
However, Rodgers is unvaccinated, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Additionally, Rapoport noted that Rodgers has been following protocols for unvaccinated players while inside the Packers’ building.
Rob Demovsky of ESPN also shared some intel on how the NFL has listed Rodgers as unvaccinated since the beginning of the season. This comes after Rodgers petitioned to be treated the same as vaccinated players after undergoing an alternate treatment.
“Rodgers, 37, petitioned the NFL to have an alternate treatment that he underwent before he returned to the Packers that would allow him to be considered the same as someone who received one of the approved vaccinations, sources told ESPN,” Demovsky wrote. “After a lengthy back and forth, the league ruled that Rodgers would not get the same consideration and would be considered unvaccinated.”
What This Means for Chiefs
After a 20-17 win over the New York Giants that had a lot of sloppy play in it, the Chiefs have dodged a bullet with Rodgers being sidelined for the Week 9 showdown. Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL on one of the best teams in the league, so having him absent from the lineup will limit Green Bay’s offensive production tremendously.
With Rodgers sidelined, the Packers will now rely upon second-year quarterback Jordan Love, who has played a total of 18 snaps so far in his NFL career, all of which have come this season, per Pro Football Reference. In 15 snaps during Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, Love completed five of seven passes for 68 yards. In Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, the three snaps he played were kneel-downs.
This is great news for a Kansas City defense that’s trending in the right direction. In Week 8 against the Giants, the defense gave up 300 total yards, 3.6 yards per carry, and had three sacks and an interception on quarterback Daniel Jones, per ESPN. So, the Chiefs’ defense has momentum in their favor as they enter their matchup against Green Bay, especially now that Rodgers won’t be under center for the Packers.
During his press conference on Wednesday, November 3, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes commented on not being able to play against Rodgers on Sunday, November 7, which would have marked the first time in their careers that the two quarterbacks played each other.
“It’s definitely disappointing…you always wanna compete against the best,” Mahomes said.
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