After missing all of last season with an ACL injury, Jordy Nelson came back to lead the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 14 — in addition to his 97 catches for 1,257 yards. He was only able to add one postseason catch and 13 yards to those numbers before leaving Sunday’s game against the Giants on a cart with a rib injury.
Losing one of the best wideouts in the league would be a massive blow for most teams, but most teams don’t have Aaron Rodgers.
Almost as soon as Nelson went out, Rodgers preceded to lose his mind, en route to a 38–13 victory. Although he completed only 50 percent of his first-half passes, Rodgers overturned a six-point deficit with two beautiful drives and two absurd throws. The first touchdown began with a scramble that lasted long enough for Rodgers to watch La La Land from start to finish — if he hasn’t already — and finished with this cross-body dart:
And then, of course, Rodgers did what has become the ultimate Rodgers thing: He completed a Hail Mary. Now, it’s an insult to say that Rodgers threw this ball as high as humanly possible because once you watch this, it becomes clear he is not human. The box score will say this was a 42-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb; the tape, well, see for yourself:
And lest we forget that Rodgers can simply drop back and hit a receiver in stride, he connected with Cobb for a 30-yard touchdown near the end of the third quarter to push Green Bay’s lead to 21–13. In the fourth, he linked up with Cobb for another touchdown. Despite his slow start, Rodgers finished the game with 25 completions on 40 attempts for four touchdowns.
So, yes, if Nelson’s injury lasts beyond this weekend, it will force the Packers to change things up on offense. But while Nelson is important, right now, there seems to be only one player on the Packers offense who matters.