Rodgers (ribs) exits early; Love throws TD in relief

PHILADELPHIA -- An Aaron Rodgers rib injury, infinitesimal playoff hopes and the Jordan Love factor.

The Green Bay Packers were near to woody with it each connected their mode retired of municipality Sunday night.

Rodgers exited Green Bay's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles successful the 3rd 4th with what the backmost said afterward was a rib wounded and an archetypal fearfulness of a punctured lung.

He was successful capable symptom aft the crippled -- the Packers' seventh nonaccomplishment successful their past 8 -- that a squad unit subordinate carried Rodgers' suitcase retired of the visitors locker country astatine Lincoln Financial Field.

That near Love to decorativeness the crippled -- and astir rally the Packers to triumph astir 15 years to the time that Rodgers filled successful for an injured Brett Favre connected Nov. 29, 2007, astatine Dallas and astir did the aforesaid thing.

Both backup quarterbacks fell short, with Love ne'er getting a changeable astatine a tying thrust due to the fact that the Packers' defence couldn't get a halt successful the last minute. While Rodgers' fill-in work successful his 3rd twelvemonth arsenic a backup served arsenic a motion helium was acceptable to regenerate Favre, nary 1 was acceptable to accidental Love did the aforesaid Sunday. But it was his astir awesome showing successful his 3 NFL seasons and near questions astir whether helium should decorativeness retired the year.

Rodgers wasn't acceptable to concede anything, not adjacent adjacent Sunday's crippled astatine the Chicago Bears.

"As agelong arsenic I cheque retired good tomorrow, I expect to play this weekend," Rodgers said Sunday night. He volition person different scan connected his ribs Monday.

He was X-rayed astatine the stadium but said it was "hard to archer connected the X-rays" if helium had immoderate fractured ribs. He said 2 plays -- 1 successful the 2nd 4th erstwhile helium got deed and landed awkwardly, and past a third-quarter combined sack by Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham -- caused the problem.

At the clip of his departure, Rodgers had conscionable led a thrust that culminated successful a Packers tract extremity to chopped the Eagles' pb to 34-23 with 2:03 remaining successful the 3rd quarter. He appeared to beryllium successful immoderate discomfort connected the thrust and subsequently jogged to the locker country with respective members of the team's aesculapian staff.

"Just [was] having a hard clip breathing and rotating my precocious body," Rodgers said. "I was disquieted astir a punctured lung, arsenic well, truthful I wanted to get that checked out."

X-rays showed Rodgers did not person a punctured lung.

"I knew that helium was successful a batch of pain," Packers manager Matt LaFleur said. "This is 1 of the toughest dudes that I've ever been around, truthful I don't ever for 1 2nd question his toughness, his tendency to beryllium retired there, his tendency to compete. Matter of fact, helium apologized to maine and I'm like, 'Don't ever apologize to me.' Like, I'll ne'er question that."

Earlier successful the week, Rodgers revealed the thumb wounded helium has been playing with since Week 5 is really a breached bone. He maintained aft the crippled that country connected his thumb would not beryllium indispensable either instantly oregon aft the season, and successful information said it was "definitely amended than it was past week."

Rodgers had completed 11 of 16 passes for 140 yards with 2 touchdowns earlier helium near the field. He besides threw 2 first-half interceptions for the 2nd clip successful 4 weeks; helium besides had 2 successful the archetypal fractional of Green Bay's Week 9 nonaccomplishment astatine Detroit. It upped his interception full for the play to nine, already the astir helium has thrown successful a play since 2010 (when helium had 11).

Love, the Packers' 2020 first-round prime and imaginable heir evident to Rodgers, entered the crippled with 11:11 near successful the 4th fourth and the Packers trailing 37-23. He promptly threw a 63-yard, catch-and-run touchdown to rookie receiver Christian Watson with 9 minutes near to marque it a one-score game. He led different thrust that ended with a tract extremity with 1:08 to play.

"There's evidently a batch of different conversations that travel into play erstwhile you're eliminated and I'll beryllium unfastened to each those conversations. Pride comes to mind. Love of the game. But there's different factors that, obviously, would travel into play should we beryllium mathematically eliminated."

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

At that point, the Packers had each 3 of their timeouts remaining, truthful Love thought helium mightiness get different possession. But conscionable similar what happened each game, the Eagles ran retired the clock. They rushed for 363 yards (157 by backmost Jalen Hurts and 143 by moving backmost Miles Sanders), the astir rushing yards the Packers person allowed successful a crippled since 1977.

Love finished 6-of-9 passing for 113 yards, and some of his possessions resulted successful points for the Packers. They had not converted a 3rd down until Love deed Allen Lazard for 7 yards connected third-and-5 from their ain 30-yard line. On the adjacent play, Love threw a slant to Watson, who turned it into a 63-yard touchdown.

Rodgers dismissed immoderate thought of shutting it down for the play -- astatine slightest arsenic agelong arsenic the Packers inactive person a accidental to marque the playoffs. At 4-8, they're inactive technically not retired of it, but ESPN Analytics gives the Packers conscionable a 2% accidental to scope the postseason.

"We've got to triumph each 5 and astir apt request a small spot of help," Rodgers said.

As for what volition hap if oregon erstwhile the Packers are eliminated from postseason contention, Rodgers said: "There's evidently a batch of different conversations that travel into play erstwhile you're eliminated, and I'll beryllium unfastened to each those conversations. Pride comes to mind. Love of the game. But there's different factors that, obviously, would travel into play should we beryllium mathematically eliminated."

One of those factors, of course, is Love.

"Obviously I privation to beryllium connected the field, but the concern is what the concern is," Love said. "The toughest happening is trying to enactment mentally prepared and enactment locked successful due to the fact that you ne'er cognize what mightiness happen.

"I conscionable spell retired determination and effort and marque the astir of the opportunity. Who knows what happens successful the future? As agelong arsenic I bash my champion and marque the astir of my opportunity, who knows what happens?"