Getty ImagesWith the NFC North title on the line, Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Packers’ starting lineup.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced Thursday that Rodgers, the club’s star quarterback, is on track to start the season finale at Chicago after missing the previous seven games with a broken collarbone.
“We’re preparing for the Chicago Bears with Aaron Rodgers as our starting quarterback,” McCarthy said.
Rodgers practiced in full on Thursday, the club said.
“He’s throwing the ball very well going on three weeks. He’s been working his feet, working his conditioning, and getting ready for this moment. And that moment’s here,” McCarthy said Thursday.
McCarthy said the club has done its “due diligence” and that Rodgers “is ready.”
A victory by the Packers (7-7-1) will give the Packers their third consecutive division title. They currently trail Chicago (8-7) by a half-game.
Rodgers suffered the injury in the first quarter of Green Bay’s November 4 loss to Chicago. At the time, the 30-year-old Rodgers was playing at an exceptionally high level for Green Bay, which was then atop the NFC North. Even as the Packers dealt with a host of injuries to key pass catchers, Rodgers thrived, leading Green Bay to an unbeaten record in October.
Matt Flynn has been the Packers’ primary replacement for Rodgers, starting four games. He replaced Scott Tolzien, who started twice after Seneca Wallace was injured early in the Packers’ first game without Rodgers.
On the season, Rodgers has completed 168-of-251 passes for 2,218 yards with 15 TDs and four interceptions. He has compiled a 108.0 quarterback rating.
His name is Aaron Rodgers.
The Vikings are pathetic.
Da Bear fans can’t be thrilled!
Wish they could flex this game to #SNF.
And with an 8-7-1 record … the Green Bay Packers will be Super Bowl champions.
Should be a fun game to watch — the Pack better not lose now.
Let’s go Bears/Vikings fans. Can’t wait to hear from you how your franchises are the dominant ones and how Aaron Rodgers is soft. You know, the usual BS.
He’s back baby!
The rest of the NFC just crapped themselves. The Packers’ 14th World Championship is on the horizon, and the train can’t be stopped.
Excellent……now the pukes are out of excuses when a terrible bears D puts Erin down.
TT is desperate, and it will cost him……..dearly.
Doesn’t matter……pukes “D” is worse than dabears!!!!!
When asked on Tuesday if it would be a sweet revenge to play against the team that knocked him out, Rodgers quoted Tombstone: “It’s not revenge [I’m] after…it’s a reckoning.”
Thank. God.
Ooooooo snap!
If he’s healthy the Packers are no doubt the top team in the NFC North.
If they could only improve on the o-line.
Gnarly
Packers 42, Bears 27
>
This is as it should be…May the best mediocre team win.
expect to see Lucy pull the football away right before Charlie Brown can kick it on Sunday.
Risking the future to limp into the playoffs. Fantastic.
And there go the Bears’s chances for victory down the toilet.
FOX Sports is loving this news.
Santa Claus delivers AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!
Super Bowl bound
–Lose your RT Bulaga first week of camp…
–Start season with a 4th round rookie at LT…
–Lose your starting RB Harris in camp…
–Lose RB Starks for multiple games…
–Lose your best defensive player Matthews for multiple games…
–Lose KR-WR Randall Cob for 10 weeks…
–Lose TE Finley for season …
–Lose your MVP QB and arguably the best player in league for eight games…
And after all that you are playing in a winner-take-all finale against the Bears.
Two lousy defenses.
Two, truthfully, mediocre teams as presently constituted.
But what terrific drama.
Giddy Up GreenBay…show janey cutler how to WIN! Rodgers will tear up that defense with or without his Porn Mustache
Add another divison championship to the Packers trophy case.
What about the defense? How many tackles will Aaron have to make in order to win this game?
I guess it doesn’t matter considering who the winner has to face in the playoffs.
The ALMIGHTY 13 Time World Champion Green Bay Packers rise like a Phoenix once again!!! Go Pack Go!
For Xmas I got Rodgers back for my fantasy football Championship! Thanks Mike Mc….ahhh…Santa
Watch out Bears!!!
The only good news for the Bears is at least they didn’t blow it as bad as the Lions. But they both had a clear, easy path to the playoffs and now both could be sitting at home to a team that didn’t win for a month. Ouch.
Packers and Dallas need to take notes from what happened to redskins last season
Ok. Here we go. Packers with Rodgers and the Bears with Cutler. Soldier Field. December. Division title on the line. Epic. Awesome. Let it snow let it snow let it snow.
Packers are gonna kill the Bears. Aaron Rodgers is going Bear hunting in Chi town.
So is this a good time to buy Packers stock? Considering the news the price per share must be skyrocketing! LOL
Packers go hunting for bear on Sunday. They will put up a 40 burger against that vaunted bears defense and win the NFC North. BOOK IT ! GO PACK GO !
None of this changes a wonderful fact: The Vikings are the worst team in the division. A division that the Detroit Lions play in!
Wouldn’t want to beat them without him and hand GB excuses on a platter.
BEARS!
He was cold and off target off a bye and lost to the giants in 2011. Can’t imagine he’ll be on his game after a 7 week layoff
Could be rusty.
Could be out of shape.
Maybe not.
There are very few who can say for certain that Rogers has had a crank or two in his mouth. However, it’s fairly obvious that he has had some in him somewhere at some point. Undeniable.
And all is right with the world…
Ten bucks says Shea McClellin takes him out in the first quarter again.
Packers suck.
With the Bears’ defense on IR for the season, The Pack could win this game with Starr as their starting qb.
He wouldnt wanna play if they were facing the Niners
Great to have A Rod back at the helm.
Please join me is raising a glass of Holiday cheer and “skol” the vikqueens 53rd season of being irrelevant.
It’s been 50 plus years of hysterical history watching year after year their abject failure.
Nothing changes the fact that his “offensive line” will be playing along with the packers “defense”.
Drink milk Erin…….
As Parcells said:”……she’s getting better!”
Bears defense:
14th against the pass.
32nd against the rush.
Packer fans better hope their coach got the memo and doesn’t have Rodgers drop back 40 times on Sunday.
I’m a die hard Packer fan and I’m happy Rodgers is back! But it still doesn’t change the fact that whoever wins sunday, they won’t go far in the playoffs. both Defenses are average at best. To many injuries for both teams. Go Pack Go!!
Packers defense ranks 26th in the league. Any chance Rodgers is going to be playing linebacker, or blitzing Cutler on Sunday?
I’m taking the over…
Like herpes, he’s back.
Forecast Sunday is snow and wind.
All the hype over two prolific QB’s and passing attacks and it might be who simply runs it best.
Put ’em back in before he’s ready and blow the guys career. We need look no further than RGIII. Shanny blew his career by playing the guy when he shouldn’t have.
Great news but who is “suiting up” for defense? Green Bays is terrible
Funny to say but Rodgers is the least of the Bears worries right now, they can’t stop the run to save their life. Eddie Lacy and James Starks will probably combine for 300+ yrds rushing in this game.
How convenient. The Packers are seemingly out of the playoff hunt, so Rogers sits on the bench with a hurt collarbone. Now, after Flynn has put out the dumpster fire that was the Packers and they have a shot at the tournament, Rogers all of a sudden declares his bone healed? I’ll bet if you asked Coach McCarthy privately, he would have preferred Aaron gave it a go weeks ago. SMH…
I want the Packers to win for the sole reason that the entire next week leading up to the Wild Card weekend, I can ask the Viking trolls, “Hey, what time do the Vikings play this weekend?”
I would think that the fact that it would be the Packers’ third consecutive NFC North Divisional versus (during that same span) the Vikings basement dwelling in two of the 3 years would be enough to shut them up for awhile but I realize that trolls don’t pay much attention to reality. That’s how they spend the entire off season claiming a Superbowl run with Ponder at QB. How’s that working for ya?
HMM returns to the game that decides the division. doubt he broke anything to begin with. with that being said . based on record, they will be one and done. can u imagine first or second series, he gets slammed onto that rockhard turf on the same shoulder. broken collarbone my butt.
Wonderful, swell. Unfortunately for the Packer fans the defense is the worst in football so who cares, they still lose.
Blame Ted T for playing el cheapo ball all these years and drafting people from colleges you never heard of. Injury prone losers who are small, slow and can’t tackle.
Datone Jones? Who in the hell is he and why is he on the bench most of the time. Perry, couldn’t tackle a girl scout with her arms full of cookies.
Mathews might as well be out for the season, he has done nothing in the past two years.
The Seattle SeaChickens would rather see any team besides the Packers coming into their place.
I love how some of these fools think Rahjahs is a lock to play this sunday. The exact quote is: Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced Thursday that Rodgers, the club’s star quarterback, is on track to start the season finale.
He is on track provided some organizational decision does not interfere. Either way whoever wins sunday will make a quick exit in the playoffs.
so, will he catch manning in stats this weekend? hell only need about 30tds and 3000 yards passing
Not smart…. one more hit on that shoulder this year and his career could be over.
Translation: Packers Win.
Interesting that media has made this an easy win for Green Bay. This game is in Chicago, and GB defense is without their overpaid pass rusher.
They can easily win the SuperBowl, I wouldn’t be shocked if they did.
Wow packers fans are arrogant. Now that Rodgers is back you think you got the Super Bowl all wrapped up huh? Yeah because Rodgers absence was the only problem Green Bay has…. Enjoy Rusty Rodgers packers fans
If Cobb goes back in, this team is almost identical to the 2010 team. Lots of injuries…but their stars are in the lineup.
I’d hate to be the Seahawks. This is the team that could really destroy their Super Bowl trip.
Snap crackle pop!!!
Not surprised it’s taken Rodgers several weeks to get back on the field. Collarbone injuries are no joke, I remember Raiders starting QB Jason Campbell hurt his collarbone in week 6 of 2011 (which prompted them to trade for Carson Palmer) and it took him until mid December of that year to be cleared as Carson’s backup.
Green Bay just went from sub-par to par. Definately enough to beat the Bears. Playoffs? I don’t see teams from the NFC North or NFC East doing much. The 5 and 6 seeds are going to be superior to the 3 and 4 seeds. Hell, the Cardinals are better than half the teams in the playoff hunt and Arizona will be watching from home (barring a miracle to get them in).
That said, I have been surprised before by some teams in recent history. The Ravens, the Packers, the Giants and the Steelers have made some runs no one expected. The slate gets wiped clean in the post season and it is more about attitude than anything.
The winner of this epic matchup moves on to post season glory.
This is why you never want your team to be a bunch of gutless quitters who embrace the suck in October. Until you’re eliminated, you always have a punchers chance at winning it all.
This Packer season, even more than any of their previous divine seasons, has taught us all why the Vikings and their fans will never be winners.
Thank goodness Rodgers is back so I don’t have to read all of the BS about Rodgers being soft anymore. Clearly other individuals beside the player have the final say if an injured player can suit up or not. Certainly clear that bitter jealousy or envy is gnawing away at Viking and Lion fans.
I’m clearly not delusional enough to think GB can now win the SB because AROD is back but the odds have dramatically improved from last week.
For those morons saying Shea McClellan is going to re-injure Rodger’s collarbone. I can only assume your heartless person to hope to see a human being get hurt playing a GAME. The collarbone is the easiest bone in the body to break. I once broke a person’s collarbone playing backyard tackle football. It was just a case of landing awkwardly, much like Rodger’s fracture. Win or lose, I’m looking forward to a great epic game in arctic conditions that test the endurance and concentration of the combatants.
Should be a lot of fun. GO PACK!
Two storied NFL franchises battling it out for the right to represent the NFC North. It seems every year the Packers or Bears earn a spot to the playoffs……. Then there are the Vikings and Lions, lost and trying to find the way.
“If he’s healthy the Packers are no doubt the top team in the NFC North.”
Yes. Which makes them about the 13th best team in the League.
While I can hardly call a matchup between a 7-7-1 and and 8-7 team “epic”, I just might have to watch this game if there is nothing else to do.
Bring him back….it’ll make a Bears victory just that much sweeter..oh..and I hope they have good protection schemes to keep him from getting sacked…cuz you know the Bears are gonna do what ever it takes to hit him!!!!
No surprise he waited until after facing the Steelers D to decide to play. Won’t matter, GB’s too battered from last week’s game to compete so soon.
Even the return of Shaaron won’t be enough. Packers will lose. Bet on it.
Well I’m Happy Aaron is finally healthy enough and is ready to Duke it out against the Bears. All the Packer’s Fans including myself have been waiting to see Rodgers return healthy and ready to go Bear Hunting. GO PACK GO!
justintuckrule says: Dec 26, 2013 3:11 PM
He was cold and off target off a bye and lost to the giants in 2011. Can’t imagine he’ll be on his game after a 7 week layoff
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Pretty hard for any QB to look good if their receivers can’t catch a cold.
These anti-Packer/Rodgers commentators make my brain feel like it’s melting…
they’re dumber than National Lampoon’s current crop of movies.