Aaron Rodgers Suffers Low-Ankle Sprain But Should Play Monday Night

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a low-ankle sprain in his team’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. He went down awkwardly on a third down play and walked toward the medical tent before the Jets recorded a special teams turnover, and he U-turned back to the field.

He told the media about his injury after the game, and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich confirmed it on Wednesday. He said Rodgers would be held back in practice but should be good to go for Monday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

“Same ankle, a little bit of the hamstring. Limited in practice, but no thoughts of any time he’ll miss Monday night.”

Rodgers also commented on his status yesterday: “A little banged up, but a lot of rehab the last three days, and I feel a lot better.”

The Jets are still reeling after the firing of head coach Robert Saleh last week.

The Jets need all the help they can get on the offensive side of the ball, and an injury to their starting quarterback puts salt in the wound. Ulbrich recently stripped offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of play-calling duties and handed them over to Todd Downing to try to give the offense a spark. Hackett was Rodgers’ OC in Green Bay, but the Denver Broncos fired him in the middle of his first season a couple of years ago, and he never bounced back to form.

Of course, it does not help a 40-year-old QB when the running game stagnates, and the offensive line cannot hold up in pass protection. Breece Hall, who many believe ranks as a top-five running back in the NFL, rushed for an abysmal 27 yards in two weeks against the Vikings and the Denver Broncos the week before. Meanwhile, the Jets needed to play a rookie right tackle due to injuries, compounding issues to an offensive line that needs time to gel.