Aaron Rodgers suffers second concussion as the Green Bay Packers lose to Detroit Lions
With Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers are a force to be reckoned with. With backup Matt Flynn, the Packers are not good at all. Rodgers suffered a concussion late in the second quarter of the game and had to leave
the game.
The Lions too had to make do with third-stringer Drew Stanton. Without their starting quarterback and up against the 7-4 (before the game) Packers, the Lions were the obvious underdogs. Even before the injury, they Lions put up
one h**l of a fight. Their defence is not exactly the best in the league and it was expected to falter under a Green Bay onslaught. However, they were able to keep the Packers in check as long as Rodgers was on the field.
In the first two quarter’s Detroit sacked Rodgers twice. In those two quarters Rodgers was able to pass just 46 yards in 7 passes, was intercepted once and the Packers did not score.
Rodgers was hit hard by Amari Spievey and Landon Johnson, but got up again following the hit. Green Bay called a timeout because Rodgers was visibly shaken. He did not want to walk off the field just then but he was sacked again
in the drive. The quarterback toughed it out until the end of the drive, but did not return to play the next time the Packers offense was on the field.
His return is questionable at this point. His condition is complicated because this is the second time Rodgers has had a concussion this season. Rodgers suffered a concussion against the Washington Redskins earlier this season.
The Packers lost that game too.
“I can't really measure the level of a concussion at this point,”
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “He'll go through the normal protocol this week. I was just told that his head is clear and he has a headache.”
The NFL has new rules regarding player return after suffering a concussion. Aaron must first be cleared by the team physician and undergo independent test to make sure he is asymptomatic. If he shows any signs of a concussion before
the Packers face off against the New England Patriots, he would be forced to sit out that game. He recovered from his last concussion in time to play the next game, but this time things might not go as smoothly as it is a second concussion.
The Packers are not out of the division race yet. The Chicago Bears lead the NFC North and this week they were beaten by the New England Patriots. The game against the Lions was the best chance the Packers had of taking over the
division but the race is not over. The Packers are still just one game behind Chicago. However, if Rodgers is not ready to face the New England Patriots next week, the likelihood of a Green Bay Victory plummets to almost zero.
Rodgers’ backup, Matt Ryan scored the only points for Green Bay against the Detroit Lions, but that does not mean anything when faced with the surging Patriots. Even with Rodgers in the game and doing his best, the Packers would
be hard pressed to extract a win over New England. Without him, a Green Bay victory would be nothing short of a miracle.
Green Bay Packers would face the New York Giants after their clash with the Patriots and end the season at home against a visiting Bears team. They have very little room for mistakes at this point in the season.
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