Then a closely contested 37-29 loss at Carolina, which looks like it could knock off the ’72 Dolphins if they showed up at Bank of America Stadium tomorrow.
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Of the three players listed as questionable, two could impact Rodgers. In 2013, the Packers lost three straight games during a 0-4-1 stretch, but that happened when Rodgers was out with a broken collarbone.
Mark Sanchez, who replaced Bradford on Sunday after he got hurt, was expected to take all the first-team reps in practice Wednesday.
“Probably banged up”, Rodgers said when asked to describe his injury status before practice. He was out of sync for most the game and missed a few receivers, but his big plays in the fourth quarter kept the Packers in the game.
The Bengals are coming off their first loss of the season to Houston; the Cardinals have a three-game winning streak. Struggling against elite defenses in tough environments is one thing, but the hard outing at Lambeau Field against the Lions is definitely concerning for a once elite offense. It might be much of the same against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.
Matthews, who plays outside and inside, could see a lot more time in the middle to help defend against Peterson. That injury was not included on Green Bay’s official report this week, as pointed out by ProFootballTalk.
Since taking over as the starter in 2008, Rodgers has a 71.1 completion percentage, 32 touchdown passes and only four interceptions in 15 games against the Vikings.
Rodgers and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged the injury as they also agreed that the quarterback was “banged up”.
“We’ve got to start faster”, Rodgers said. We definitely didn’t have any rhythm, and we’ve got to get into rhythm earlier….
“When you win a game, you like the feeling and that makes you want to win even more”, Lions safety Glover Quin. It’s nearly a must-win situation for the visitors, who can ill afford to fall two games behind Minnesota in the division.
Campen knows what his offensive linemen must accomplish to keep Rodgers out of further harm’s way Sunday.
“We have to be really smart in our rush lanes”, defensive end Brian Robison said.
Run the ball on offense.
On Sunday, the Mike Zimmer-led Vikings will face off against one of the franchise’s greatest rivals, the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers defeated the Vikings twice last season and lead the all-time regular season series, 57-48-2.
“They’re a good football team”, Zimmer said. “I have a ton of respect for them”.
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“Tuesday, I had my normal routine”, he said in a subdued voice, “came in here, worked out, acupuncture, massage, film, relax, dinner, sleep, wake up, here I am”.
