Aaron Rodgers does not want to be viewed as the savior of the Packers.
The Packers quarterback said Wednesday he understands expectations, but simply wants to play the way he's always played and help the Packers win their final three games. That begins Sunday against the Panthers in Charlotte.
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"There’s an expectation of the way I play on Sunday and how I’m going to play. I enjoy those expectations," the two-time NFL MVP said a day after he was cleared to play eight weeks after suffering a broken collarbone. "I enjoy meeting those or exceeding those. That’s what it means to be a leader in this locker room and the quarterback of this team.
"But I’m not coming back to save this team. I’m coming back to play quarterback the way I know how to play it and hopefully we all raise the level of our play collectively and find a way to win these three games."
The Packers are 7-6 and currently outside the NFC playoff picture. They need to win out to have a realistic chance of making the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season. Green Bay was 4-1 when Rodgers was injured on the second offensive series of an eventual 23-10 loss to the Vikings on Oct. 15. The Packers have gone 3-5 since, including that loss to the Vikings, with Brett Hundley at quarterback.
All three of Green Bay's remaining games are against NFC playoff contenders. The Panthers (9-4) are tied for first in the NFC South. The Vikings (10-3) lead the North and the Lions (7-6) are right there with the Packers vying for a playoff spot.
Rodgers pointed out the fact that the Packers were 4-6 last season before ripping off six straight victories to win the NFC North.
"We’ve done it before,” he said. "We did it last year. We were 4-6, and a lot of people counted us out. I saw something that we have 750-to-1 odds to make the playoffs. We’ve never shied away from those type of circumstances, and we’re not going to again."