The Green Bay Packers list Aaron Rodgers as probable to play through a strained calf in the NFC Championship Game.
If last week's game is any indication, the MVP candidate's pocket movement and throwing mechanics will be compromised at Seattle on Sunday.
Rodgers still made enough scintillating plays in the final quarter and a half to convince Seahawks defenders that he will be at the peak of his powers when the NFC's two best teams clash.
All-Pro safety Earl Thomas said, via NFL Media's Steve Wyche, he's not "buying into" the idea of Rodgers as limited by the injury.
"I saw him scramble close to the goal line on the Cowboys," Thomas said, "so he's not fooling me with that."
To be clear, Thomas is not accusing Rodgers of faking the injury. He's simply resisting the temptation to underestimate his competition in the biggest game of the season.
"I just respect him as a football player in general," Thomas added, via the Seattle Post Intelligencer. "You can tell that he knows the game. He has a lot of confidence back there. You don't really see a lot of quarterbacks of his skin color with soul like that, and I like it."
Rodgers acknowledged Friday that there is still pain, stiffness and "constant, around-the-clock" treatment involved with his calf.
"It was painful the entire (Divisional Round) game," Rodgers explained. "It was just something that I knew I was going to have to deal with during the week and in the warmups. Nothing really loosened up, it was just dealing with the pain, pain management. And being smart about it."
The Around The NFL Podcast broke down Rodgers' prospects in this week's Championship Sunday preview. Our conference title game picks can be found here.
