The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to pick up a win against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, but they weren’t exactly at full health while doing so. Not only was Jaylen Warren forced to miss a good chunk of the second half, but the Steelers had to play the entire last two quarters without Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a left wrist injury.
While his status remains up in the air for Sunday’s game in Chicago, we know Rodgers will want to play. If he does, former Steelers’ linebacker Chad Brown discussed how defenders could try to affect that wrist come Sunday.
“A guy like myself, oh, you’re a quarterback with a bad wrist? Let’s make sure we fall down, and you wanna put your hand back to brace you on the fall,” Brown said Friday on the Freddy and Harry podcast. “Maybe you bruise your wrist again, or damage your wrist again. Great, all the better for us if you are not playing. So, yeah, of course I’m going for that. Of course, I’m noting where you’re injured and trying to find ways to attack it. Not maliciously. I’m not twisting your wrist at the bottom of the pile. But if I can manage to do that in the course of a play? All the better.”
This is the game that is played in the NFL. Brown acknowledges that hits like these aren’t dirty. And they aren’t, but in a sport as physical as football, if opponents know you’re playing with a sore spot, they’re going to target it. It wouldn’t be surprising if we see Bears’ defenders batting at, or trying to put a helmet on that wrist if Rodgers decides to play through it.
With Rodgers nearing the age of 42, it doesn’t take a whole lot for him to get banged up. With the cold weather Sunday will bring, those hits are going to feel a little more painful. And it didn’t take a terrible fall for Rodgers to injure that wrist the first time.
If Rodgers does try to play through his wrist injury, there are a couple of ways he might be limited. Handing the ball off could be uncomfortable. He might have to do so with both hands, or only his healthy arm. Even taking a snap under center will cause some pain. That’s also the same way Will Howard suffered a similar injury back in training camp.
All that said, Rodgers is in his 21st NFL season. He knows how the game goes, and he’s just as aware as anyone else that the Bears will be looking to target that wrist, as any other team would. And former QB Kurt Warner thinks he’ll be able to manage it, with Warner playing through a left arm injury during his own career. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to how well Rodgers can protect himself if he does play.
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