The Detroit Lions are fading in the NFC’s playoff picture, and they could use all the luck they can get down the stretch. A Thanksgiving loss to the Green Bay Packers has Detroit sitting in eighth place in the NFC standings entering Sunday, and the remainder of Week 13’s action could have them further down the totem pole by the time all of this week’s games are completed.
With time running out, it’s clear that each of the Lions' five games remaining will be critical. But they may have received an unlikely boost ahead of their Dec. 21 matchup against former rival quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Rodgers will start Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills; however, he will do so with three fractures in his left wrist. While Rapoport noted that Rodgers has earned the respect of his teammates by playing through the injury, it could backfire on Pittsburgh and give Detroit a much needed leg-up in their push for the playoffs.
Aaron Rodgers’s Wrist Injury Creates an Unexpected Opportunity for Lions
Rodgers was injured after he smacked his wrist on a helmet during a Nov. 16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The injury prevented him from playing against the Chicago Bears, but he is set to return on Sunday, which could produce a wide range of outcomes.
If Rodgers plays without a hitch, this point is probably moot. But if Rodgers aggravates the injury, it would thrust backup QB Mason Rudolph into action. Rudolph completed 24-of-31 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown in relief of Rodgers during last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears, but he also threw an interception and lost a fumble, leaving Pittsburgh desperate for Rodgers’s return.
While Rapoport said that Rodgers has been “adamant about playing” after missing last week’s game, there’s also a chance he won’t be effective due to the injury. If so, that could add another advantage for the Lions, playing against a quarterback who is less than 100%. It also helps that Detroit has limited Rodgers' success lately, holding him to 40-of-70 passing (57.1%) for 496 yards, two TDs, four INTs, and a 64.9 passer rating in the last two encounters with the ex-Green Bay Packers QB.
Whatever the advantage, the Lions will gladly take it. Detroit has another must-win matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night before traveling to the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 14. It’s unlikely the broken bones in Rodgers’s wrist will be healed by Dec. 21, but the Lions finish the year with back-to-back divisional matchups against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.
Each game will be critical to the Lions' playoff hopes. With star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown nursing an ankle injury and major questions along the offensive line, it will give Detroit a much-needed boost if Rodgers’s injury holds him back at all.