New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is out of his first game with the team. In just the first series he played, he was sacked and suffered an ankle injury. He is questionable to return.
It is never a good thing to see injuries happen. It is a sobering reminder that football is a violent game and things can change in an instant, and not always for the better.
The injury sustained by Rodgers hopefully is not serious, but it does recall a time during his tenure with the Green Bay Packers in which he was injured in Week One, yet led the team to victory and played the entire season.
Aaron Rodgers Played the 2018 Season on a Broken Leg
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates a 24-23 victory against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.
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Just as in 2023, the Packers met their oldest rival, the Chicago Bears, for a Week One matchup in 2018. This game, though, was played at Lambeau Field and saw Rodgers facing off against Mitch Trubisky.
Of course, the 2018 season did not go as the Packers hoped, and Rodgers did not have a particularly good year (by his standards). However, the reason for that was due to the fact that he suffered a broken leg in Week One, and played the whole season on it.
The Packers got off to a slow start, but the wind was taken further out of their sails when Chicago’s Roy Robertson-Harris sacked Rodgers with 9:22 remaining in the second quarter. Rodgers was carted off the field and taken to the locker room. DeShone Kizer came into the game in relief.
By the time the second quarter ended, the Bears led 17-0. Chicago scored a field goal to start the third quarter and took a 20-0 lead.
And then Rodgers came back.
The Packers scored a field goal on Rodgers’ first series back in the third quarter, but the future Hall of Famer also tossed three touchdown passes in the half. Green Bay’s defense limited Chicago to another field goal, making the final score 24-23 Green Bay.
Green Bay finished 6-9-1 that season and head coach Mike McCarthy was fired before it even ended. However, Rodgers played all 16 games, on a broken fibula, and made the Pro Bowl (25 touchdowns, two interceptions).
Hopefully his injury with New York will not be as serious, but he is a proven warrior. He will play through the pain.
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