The Packers appear only a victory over winless Cleveland from an Aaron Rodgers return.
The two-time NFL MVP took another step in his comeback, donning the pads for Thursday’s practice. Rodgers returned to practice Saturday, and he took scout-team reps Wednesday.
“Nothing surprises me with Aaron,” coach Mike McCarthy said, via Ryan Wood for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “He’s an exceptional talent, but having the opportunity to watch him go through the rehab process, it’s been probably a good month that we’ve seen him do a number of different things. I go back to probably three or four weeks ago when he was doing the long toss with a softball. He was doing things a lot quicker than I think all of us would anticipate. The training staff has done a great job. He’s done a great job. And he looks like himself. He’s back there slinging it around and throwing with great velocity. His recovery has been impressive.”
Brett Hundley will start again this week, with Rodgers not eligible to return to game action until Dec. 17 at Carolina.
Rodgers underwent surgery on his broken right clavicle on Oct. 19, requiring 13 screws to repair it. The Packers placed him on injured reserve the following day.
Despite losing five of their last seven games, the Packers remain in the playoff hunt. So barring a big upset against Cleveland, Rodgers will return.
Rodgers said Nov. 3 that he would return if he was healthy and it made “sense.” He is, and it does.