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Green
Bay Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers celebrates a 25-yard
touchdown pass to Greg Jennings during the fourth quarter of
their NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons' at
Lambeau Field. Atlanta won 27-24.
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GREEN BAY - Green Bay Packers
quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss some practice again this week,
but is expected to play at Seattle next Sunday.
"We're going to go into the week
planning on Aaron to play," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said
Monday.
Rodgers played against Atlanta on
Sunday despite spraining his right shoulder in the previous week's
game at Tampa Bay. He played well, but the Packers still lost to the
Falcons 27-24.
"He was in a lot of pain,"
McCarthy said. "For him to go out and throw the ball like he
did and to play the way he did, I think, is a tribute to him. He
definitely played big in the game."
McCarthy said he discussed Rodgers'
injury with team doctor Pat McKenzie and believes Rodgers is
"ahead of where we were last week."
But after an off day for the team
Tuesday, Rodgers is likely to sit out practice Wednesday and
continue rehabbing the injury. He might return to practice Thursday,
even if it is on a limited basis.
Rodgers finished Sunday's game
25-for-37 for 313 yards with three touchdowns and nearly led the
Packers to a late comeback.
He did make one major mistake, a
fourth-quarter interception deep in Packers territory that set up a
Falcons touchdown. But McCarthy said coaches gave Rodgers' overall
performance high marks.
"We graded him as a winning
performance," McCarthy said. "I thought he had an
excellent performance with everything he was dealing with. The
biggest negative was the interception, throwing across your body
late over the middle like that."
Rodgers said after Sunday's game he
had to talk McCarthy into letting him play.
"Mike wanted to look into my
eyes and see if I wanted to play, and I told him 'I want the ball. I
want to be out there,'" Rodgers said. "Then I just knew I
was going to have to deal with the pain."
The Packers didn't win, but Rodgers
certainly won respect in the locker room.
"He continues to prove the point
I've made all along, he's a special guy," said Packers
defensive end Aaron Kampman, one of Rodgers' closest friends on the
team. "No one knew going into the game whether he was going to
play or not, except him and maybe a few other people. Yeah — a
gutsy performance."
Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings
was surprised Rodgers played, given the serious nature of the
injury.
"From what we know, as far as my
knowledge, he should not have played," Jennings said. "I
don't think they really wanted him to dress. But he's pleading his
case to get out there. You hate to jeopardize the season, but at the
same time, when you have a guy who's determined like that, you have
to let him go ahead. That lets us know and shows us how much he
wants to be out there and lead us. He wants to lead our team. And
that's what you need in a quarterback."
Running back Ryan Grant called
Rodgers a "true leader."
"I knew it was hard for
him," Grant said. "He was in a lot of pain. He needs to be
commended for what he did. He was able to fight through that. He put
us in position to win the game. He's a true leader. We're going to
need that for times like that. We definitely appreciate what he
did."
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