The Savior Is Coming!

It is apropros that Aaron Rodgers may return as starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers during this holiday season--as many fans believe their savior is about to arrive.  There is this general idea that Rodgers is going to come back from an eight-week layoff and immediately resume playing at a Hall of Fame level.  Despite not working with the receiving corps for two months, timing routes will somehow still be perfect and throws into tight coverage will be pinpoint accurate.  No one seems to have any doubt that an offensive line that has heard a completely different cadence since October will not jump when Aaron uses his "319...319...HUTHUT!!" that usually draws the defense offsides anytime the Packers face a 3rd and less than five situation or that he will immediately recognize the defense is trying to get a substitute on and he will go hurry-up and snap the ball when the guy coming out is just a step from the sidelines.  Or that the deep balls thrown into perfect coverage will be called pass interference again.

Many point to Rodgers' return from his last broken collarbone injury in 2013 when he beat the Bears in Week 17 to win the NFC North and get the Packers into the playoffs--where they lost in the Wild Card Round against San Francisco AT LAMBEAU the next week.  But in that case, Aaron was returning from an injury to his NON-throwing shoulder and, well, the Bears are the Bears.  This year's playoff rally will require winning three games--two of those on the road--against teams already ahead of them in the playoff chase.

Adding to the false hope for Packers fans is the sudden change that took place in the NFC Playoff picture over the weekend.  With Philadelphia losing their quarterback--Carson Wentz--to a season-ending knee injury, the conference now appears to be wide open.  The LA Rams are young and haven't been in the playoffs for years.  New Orleans defense is still suspect, Atlanta is still on the Super Bowl Hangover, Seattle's offensive line is awful and Minnesota and Detroit are going to choke because that is what they do in the playoffs.  So to a person, Packers fans are all like "If we can just get in, we can win this!!"

I would argue that Brett Hundley doing "just enough" (in other words--barely beating three last-place teams) to keep the Packers playoff hopes alive was a dis-service to Aaron Rodgers.  If he somehow comes back at a high enough level to beat three good teams with an offense that was completely inept without him, it will make everyone--including those in the front office--think "Oh man, if Aaron just didn't get hurt, this would have been a Super Bowl team for sure"--and much-needed off-season moves--both in terms of personnel, coaching staff and in the front office--will not be made.  Not to mention the better they might do in the playoffs this year, the worse their draft position will be next spring--reducing the chances of getting an impact player in the first round for a change.

So continue to light the candles on your "Aaron Rodgers comeback Advent wreath" for this is the season of miracles--and false hope too.