Packers' Aaron Rodgers will start vs. Bears if healthy
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers won't become a spectator quite yet if he has any say on the matter.
According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed on Monday that Rodgers will get the nod over backup Jordan Love for this coming Sunday's game at the 3-9 Chicago Bears as long as the future Hall of Famer is cleared to start.
"Sometimes there's stuff that doesn't show up on all the scans," LaFleur remarked about Rodgers. "All I can tell you is he's feeling a little bit better."
Rodgers exited what became the 40-33 "Sunday Night Football" loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter of that contest with a rib/oblique injury and was replaced by Love. Love completed six of nine passes for 113 yards and a touchdown but couldn't do enough to prevent the Packers from falling to 4-8 on the season.
Perhaps more importantly as it pertains to Green Bay's future, Love is a first-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, meaning the club must make a decision about the fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract next spring. Rodgers signed a massive extension with the Packers this past offseason but potentially could retire as soon as this coming winter.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that Rodgers has also been dealing with an avulsion fracture of the thumb on his throwing hand that he initially suffered during a loss to the New York Giants on Oct. 9. Rapoport added "surgery is almost always the answer to fix this type of injury."
Logic suggests the Packers will eventually shut Rodgers down but perhaps only when/if they are mathematically eliminated from postseason contention before Week 18. Green Bay goes on its bye after the Chicago matchup and may have little to play for other than pride when the Los Angeles Rams visit Lambeau Field on the night of Dec. 19.
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