If Aaron Rodgers isn’t the best player in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers quarterback is certainly on the (very) short list. Because of the position he plays and his immense talent, the Packers can ill afford to be without their centerpiece for very long but, early in the team’s Week 6 game against the Minnesota Vikings, Rodgers was forced off the field as a result of what appears to be a shoulder injury.
https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/919614321180725250
Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr delivered the hit that injured Rodgers and, while he certainly did not lay off the All-Pro quarterback in the way that the NFL would like, FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira deemed the play to be legal because Rodgers was on the move.
That hit on Rodgers was legal. He was out of the pocket on the run.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) October 15, 2017
Still, some disagree with Pereira’s assessment, wondering how Rodgers getting hit so long after he released the ball could possibly be legal.
No flag for the Rodgers hit? Fine. But then a phantom ‘illegal contact’ on Josh Jones that keeps the drive alive? Officiating is a joke rn
— Counter Culture Representative (@contra_cult) October 15, 2017
The fact that "football people" say that hit on Rodgers was legal only magnifies that the NFL only wants to pretend to care about players.
— Becky Hammon, Hall of Famer (@kneary22) October 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/cstingle/status/919615982552760320
Regardless, the hit was bad enough to send Rodgers to the locker room and that is never a good sign.
Aaron Rodgers is being loaded onto the cart in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/YEDIfuLEq8
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 15, 2017
For now, Rodgers is listed as questionable to return.
Aaron Rodgers has a right shoulder injury, his return is questionable. #GBvsMIN
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 15, 2017
The Packers do have quite a bit of talent elsewhere but, in the same breath, this is a very different team with anyone other than Aaron Rodgers under center. He was replaced by former UCLA signal-caller Brett Hundley immediately following the injury and, well, his first pass did not go well.
Brett Hundley's first drive against the Vikings results in an INT. #Packers
— Mike Cianciolo (@MikeCianciolo) October 15, 2017
Brett Hundley has been sitting for like 5 years. Of course he threw a pick.
— Brett Rasdall (@BrettRasdall) October 15, 2017
Brett Hundley picked off by Xavier Rhodes. Not the start he wanted to his era. #GBvsMIN
— Melissa Y. Kim (@melissaykim) October 15, 2017
If Hundley gets hurt, though, things get weird, as he is Green Bay’s only other quarterback on the roster. Should he go down, wide receiver and former college quarterback Randall Cobb is slated as the emergency replacement.
https://twitter.com/jasonrmcintyre/status/919619226683375619
At this point, the entire Green Bay fan base is likely holding its collective breath as Rodgers is being evaluated.
UPDATE: Rodgers is officially out for the rest of the game.
The #Packers declare QB Aaron Rodgers out with a right shoulder injury. Not good.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 15, 2017
Even worse, the Packers indicated that this could cost Rodgers the rest of the 2017 season.
QB Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone. There's a chance he could miss the rest of the season.
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 15, 2017
