Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed another practice on Wednesday due to the injury on his right thumb, which he initially injured on the final play on Oct. 9 in London against the New York Giants.
Just how much is this lingering thumb injury affecting the four-time MVP? It’s hard to say, especially since the exact diagnosis of the injury isn’t known. But Rodgers hasn’t been very good throwing the ball since.
Over the last four games, Rodgers ranks 29th among 35 qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (61.1), 26th in yards per attempt (6.3), tied for last in interceptions (four) and 28th in passer rating (81.3).
Over his first five games, Rodgers completed almost 68 percent of his passes, averaged 6.9 yards per attempt and had only four turnover-worthy plays, and his passer rating was 95.8.
His adjusted yards per attempt has dropped by almost a yard and a half since London. There’s been a clear and statistically significant drop-off for the Packers quarterback post-injury.
Rodgers, who is doing weekly treatment and rehab, said he didn’t think the thumb would be completely healed until after the bye week, which doesn’t arrive until next month. It’s certainly possible this injury – to the right thumb of a right-handed quarterback – is playing a bigger factor than the player and team is letting on, especially considering Rodgers has at least one or two plays a game where the thumb appears to be in some kind of pain after a collision. This might be an injury that is being re-injured just about every week.
But how much is the injury to blame?
Again, hard to know. If he had a healthy right thumb, would Rodgers have made a better throw to Robert Tonyan on his third interception last week? Does he throw a better ball to Samori Toure down the seam? These are the big plays going the other way for the Packers this season, and Rodgers is usually – in one way or another – at the center of it. An inch here or an inch there could make a big difference, especially for a passing game with so little margin for error.
Then again, a thumb injury doesn’t affect decision-making, or reading a defense, or anticipating a throw. This passing game just hasn’t done much right in 2022.
His thumb injury appears to be just one factor in a long line of mitigating factors for the Packers this season. This team lost Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The offensive line has been shuffled and re-shuffled. Young receivers are learning on the fly. The offense is evolving, for better or worse. The Packers are trying to figure out how best to play offense with this lesser-talented group of players, and compounding the problem is a 38-year-old quarterback with a lingering and potentially limiting injury to his throwing hand.
Add it all up and we have the reigning MVP leading an offense that is averaging 17.1 points per game through the first nine games of a highly disappointing 2022 season.
Will a healthy thumb for Rodgers fix everything in Green Bay? No. But it sure wouldn’t hurt.
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