The Green Bay Packers were one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year but their Super Bowl dreams were dashed on Sunday when quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a potential season ending injury.
With Rodgers out indefinitely, the NFL betting odds to win Super Bowl will change drastically.
After a 4-1 start to the season, the Packers looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders, especially after wins against the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, who were considered to be their biggest threats.
Early in the first quarter of their game against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay’s Super Bowl hopes went out the window when Vikings linebacker Aaron Barr tackled Rodgers in the midsection and drove him to the ground shoulder first.
Rodgers would writhe in pain before walking off the field. After being looked at by the team physicians, Rodgers was diagnosed with a broken collarbone on his throwing hand.
While the news seems bad right now for Packers fans, there is still hope because Rodgers suffered a similar injury in 2013. Back then, Rodgers broke the collarbone in his left shoulder and missed seven games. However, the team went 2-4-1 in his absence and were aided by a bad NFC North division, so when Rodgers returned for the final game of the season, a win was all the team needed to win the division and make the playoffs.
Rodgers was able to lead the Packers to a win in their final game of the 2013 season, clinching the NFC North title in the process.
The team would end up losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wildcard game.
This year, things will be a little tougher for the Packers because the NFC North is much better with the Vikings and Detroit Lions hoping to make the playoffs as well.
After Rodgers’ injury, Packers fans were hoping the team would trade for a quarterback that can help them win in Rodgers’ absence, or try to convince Milwaukee native Tony Romo to leave the broad cast booth for another chance to win a Super Bowl.
However, head coach Mike McCarthy announced on Monday that the team doesn’t have any plans to bring in a quarterback and will move forward with backup Brett Hundley as their starter and practice squad member Joe Callahan as his backup.
McCarthy also quickly killed any rumor of the team bringing in free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who filed a grievance against NFL team owners on Sunday.
In his relief effort on Sunday, Hundley threw an interception on his first pass and finished the game with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions.
Hundley, who was an exciting player at UCLA was likely suffering from jitters and is expected to improve as he gets more experience. If he can lead the Packers to five or six victories in Rodgers’ absence, the team has a good chance of making the playoffs.
Another option for the Packers is to bring back Matt Flynn, who played well in relief of Rodgers in the past. However, Flynn has been out of the league since 2014, and probably won’t be in football shape.