Packers can learn lessons from Aaron Rodgers injury

The Green Bay Packers can learn a lot from Aaron Rodgers’ injury.

Aaron Rodgers put together a performance on one leg many quarterbacks couldn’t do with two. And from the Green Bay Packers‘ incredible comeback, the team can learn a lot.

The first lesson is obvious: Rodgers needs to be protected. General manager Brian Gutekunst took a gamble by not investing more in the offensive line during the offseason, and the Packers had real problems slowing down Chicago’s strong front seven early on.

Those problems won’t be going away any time soon, either. The Packers meet the Bears again later in the year, and next week take on the Minnesota Vikings.

But the Packers did actually deal with the Bears’ dominant pass rush in the second half. And it was out of necessity.

Before Rodgers got hurt, he was dancing around in and out of the pocket trying to extend the play while his receivers got open. We all know how effective Rodgers can be when he moves around, but it was happening too much.

As a result, the Packers couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm on offense, Rodgers was under pressure and the receivers weren’t getting open. Vic Fangio and Chicago’s defense had it all their way.

So why did it all suddenly click after he returned to the game, but was still limited due to his knee injury?

Much like two years ago during the “run the table” season when Rodgers dealt with a minor calf injury, he was forced to get the ball out quickly. Instead of extending the play and waiting for someone to get open downfield, Rodgers was forced to throw quicker, shorter passes and rely much more on timing with his receivers.

It worked on Sunday. Green Bay was able to move with tempo. It cooled the Bears’ pass rush, tired their defense and opened up opportunities for big plays. And that’s exactly what happened.

Mike McCarthy should integrate this more into the offense, even when Rodgers is at 100 percent. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t roll out of the pocket and extend plays. It’s part of what makes him such a special player.

Forced to throw quicker passes and rely more on timing with his receivers, the Packers offense got into rhythm. It worked beautifully on Sunday night.

So the question is why were the Packers unable to move the ball with such ease before they started to play that way? McCarthy and the Packers can learn a lot from their incredible comeback against the Bears.