What can we expect from Aaron Rodgers?
The playoff picture
See where each team stands in the playoff picture heading into the final week of the 2013 NFL regular season. **More ...**
The Green Bay Packers quarterback practiced again Friday, one day after it was announced that he'd play in Week 17's play-in showdown against the Chicago Bears.
Rodgers missed nearly two months with a crack in his collar bone. It's not crazy to think that the layoff, combined with lingering concerns about the injury, would lead to the Packers taking a safer approach in their game plan.
That won't be the case, according to Packers coach Mike McCarthy.
"To me, that goes back to the decision," McCarthy said Friday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "If we were thinking that way, the decision wouldn't be what it is. The decision's been made. Obviously it was a thorough one. And it's time for Aaron to play.
"We're going to cut him loose and we're going to go play. We're going to play to win."
Battista: To play or not to play?
Fair enough, but this is where the presence of Eddie Lacy is especially precious. The running back -- a favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award -- will play a key role in Rodgers' assimilation process.
Rodgers doesn't have to be the star Sunday. The Bears are the ideal opponent in the quarterback's first game back.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" delivered a Christmas gift, analyzing the chaotic playoff picture in both conferences.
