Packers: Aaron Rodgers doesn’t practice, but should play Week 3
As the Green Bay Packers make their way into FedExField, Aaron Rodgers’ injury remains atop the team’s concerns. Unless he suffers an unforeseen setback, Rodgers will suit up against the Washington Redskins.
As the season heads into Week 3, Aaron Rodgers‘ injury continues to loom large within the hearts and minds of Packers fans. Rodgers, who has not participated in practice all week, is still slated to take the field.
He and the Packers offense will try and get the better of a Redskins defense that has been stout against the pass throughout the early season. Led by Ryan Kerrigan and Josh Norman, the Redskins lead the league in total defense at 247 yards per game and passing yards at 161 yards per game.
“Obviously it won’t be 100 percent, so I’ll just adjust accordingly to how I’m feeling and try to get through,” Rodgers said earlier this week, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
With this in mind, it should be expected to see Rodgers take the majority of snaps out of the pistol, much like he did in the second half of Week 1 vs. Chicago. The pistol formation, in conjunction with getting the ball out of his hand quickly, should lead to Rodgers having similar success to that of the first two weeks of the season.
While attempting to crack the code of the Redskins’ defense, Rodgers will look to Davante Adams, who will have his hands full with Norman. Though he may not be the lock-down defender that he was in Carolina, Norman has put together a very nice start to his seventh season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Norman ranks ninth in the league in Coverage Snaps Per Reception, which matches up well against Adams.
If Adams is kept in check, Randall Cobb, Geronimo Allison and Co. will have to step up and take pressure off of Rodgers and the offensive line. A returning Aaron Jones, though in a limited roll, along with Jamaal Williams will also shoulder the load out of the backfield.
Despite leaving the grounds of Lambeau Field, the Packers may have more fans in attendance if the Redskins’ home opener is anything to go off of. Sporting the lowest opening week attendance since 1997, the Redskins lost to the Indianapolis Colts 21-9. With attendance at FedExField in question, Rodgers may be able to thrive, most notably on third down.
Not only has Rodgers been great on third down, but like he has done his entire career, he ranks towards the top of the league while under pressure, as noted in the Pro Football Focus game preview.
Despite having his mobility limited, Rodgers has been able to make quick decisions and his pre-snap reads have led to success for the Packers’ aerial assault.
Looking to rebound from last week’s unfortunate tie, Mike McCarthy and his staff will turn to Rodgers to lead the Packers to victory. Though some may still question the Packers, the team and their doctors have managed Rodgers’ injury as best they can by holding him out of practice to help the recovery time.
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He will lead the Packers out of the tunnel on Sunday against the Redskins, searching for the team’s second win of the season.