The Green Bay Packers' championship hopes are on hold.
Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone in the first quarter of Sunday's 23-10 loss at Minnesota. There's a "chance" the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player could miss the rest of the season, the team announced via Twitter.
Rodgers was miffed at Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr for the tackle, which came outside the pocket and drew no penalty flag. The Packers' superstar quarterback appeared to land hard on his shoulder with Barr's weight driving him into the turf. When backup Brett Hundley came over to offer a "high-five," Rodgers was forced to answer left-handed.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that Rodgers will undergo further testing to determine the next course of action. Rapoport says, as noted by the team, the quarterback could return later in the season. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Packers did not place Rodgers on injured reserve, electing to put cornerback Quinten Rollins (Achilles) on IR to make room for quarterback Joe Callahan.
The injury is reminiscent of the early-November collarbone fracture sustained by Rodgers in 2013. Although Rodgers returned after seven weeks to lift Green Bay into the playoffs with a thrilling victory over the Bears in Week 17, there's an important distinction this time around. Whereas the previous injury was near Rodgers' left shoulder, this one is to his right (throwing) shoulder.
As evidenced by last week's masterful performance in a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Dallas, Rodgers had been carrying his offense to a greater extent than any quarterback in the league.
Where do the Packers turn now?
A 2015 fifth-round draft pick, Hundley led the NFL in preseason passer rating (129.6) as a rookie and reportedly drew trade interest during the 2017 draft. The coaching staff has expressed confidence that he can develop into a solid NFL starter.
As expected, the Packers promoted Callahan from the practice squad.
That said, the dropoff in expected production from the MVP-caliber Rodgers to his inexperienced backup might be steeper than that of any QB1-to-QB2 depth chart in the league.
Considering the transcendent level at which Rodgers was playing, Green Bay faithful had reason to believe this was finally their year to bring the Lombardi Trophy home for the first time since 2011. Unless Rodgers can reprise his heroics to close out the 2013 regular season, those hopes might have been dashed Sunday on the same U.S. Bank Stadium turf that will host Super Bowl LII.
