It's been known for some time that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been playing with a painful thumb injury. Now, the extent of the injury is known.
Rodgers said Wednesday that his thumb is broken, an injury he sustained on the final play of the Packers' loss to the New York Giants in London in Week 5.
The Packers are 4-7, and Rodgers is on pace for his fewest passing yards for a full season since he became the Packers' starter. To this point, he's refused to offer up the thumb as an excuse for why he and the team have not been playing at their peak.
"I think I've had worse injuries I've played with," Rodgers said, via The Athletic’s Matt Schneiderman, noting that his 2018 knee injury was more prohibitive when it came to throwing the ball. "So, you know, definitely a challenge. But the days off help. Feeling better this week."
It's the first time, Rodgers said, that he's played through a broken thumb, although he said he endured a "broken index finger" in college that was worse than his current injury, along with broken pinkies in the past.
Surgery wasn't considered as a midseason option, Rodgers said, and it doesn't appear to be a serious enough injury to require offseason surgery, either.
The Cowboys' Dak Prescott recently underwent hand surgery and returned to the lineup. Although Rodgers said he didn't know the extent of Prescott's injury, he said he didn't think it was as serious as what Prescott had.
The thumb has come back into focus following the Packers' 27-17 loss to the Titans last Thursday when Rodgers missed some throws late in the game that he typically makes.
"I couldn't tell you (or) point to one thing," Rodgers said. "I'm not going to make excuses about my thumb, it's been the same since New York. I don't know. I gotta go back and look at it.
"It felt like, fundamentally, I was in a good spot. I just didn't have the same type of consistent grip and ball coming out the same way. I threw a lot of kinda wobblers tonight. There was some wind. I just missed a few throws I shoulda had."
The Packers' next two games are on the road against the Eagles and Bears, followed by the Week 14 bye.
