The Packers lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week Six with a broken collarbone. The injury happened during a game against the Vikings, and a rematch with the Vikings is looming.
So will there be any hard feelings toward the Vikings when the two teams square off again on December 23 at Lambeau Field?
“Hey man, it’s the game of football,” Packers defensive lineman Mike Daniels said during a Friday visit to PFT Live. “We know things happen, but we’re definitely going to have a little more ‘oomph’ for that game.”
Daniels believes that the Packers would be in much better position than 6-6 if Rodgers hadn’t been injured.
“If Aaron didn’t get hurt we’d only have one loss right now, maybe two -- and that’s stretching it with ‘maybe,’” Daniels said.
“I’ve been around when Aaron was down before, so first of all this wasn’t anything new to me personally. So I knew what mindset to take. I knew how to handle it and approach it but for everybody and the younger guys that haven’t dealt with that you kind of have your breath taken away a little bit. You know, whenever a team loses their quarterback, especially their leader.
“Now, every team has a quarterback, but every quarterback ain’t the leader, if you get what I’m saying. So whenever a team loses their quarterback that’s devastating; it changes everything you do. Then when you lose an important leader like that that’s even more devastating. Then when you lose somebody that means so much to the game of football itself, now we got some adjustments to make in so many different ways. Not just schematically and personnel-wise, but people have to step up as leaders. You’ve got to keep everybody’s mentality right. You have to keep everybody’s head straight so it was definitely a tough situation and unfortunately, though, that’s just the nature of the beast.”
Currently, the nature of the beast for the 6-6 Packers is that it will be difficult if not impossible for the Packers to make it to the playoffs. If they do, though, and if they have Rodgers back, can they make it to the Super Bowl?
“I don’t see why not,” Daniels said.
Before that can happen, they need Rodgers back. Before his presence can be relevant to the team’s chances, they need to beat a winless Cleveland team on Sunday.