The Bears Roughed Up Aaron Rodgers More Than Anyone Originally Realized

Aaron Rodgers never looked right in 2018, especially not after taking some hard hits in the season-opener against the Bears. And now, we know why:

If you don’t remember what it looked like when Aaron Rodgers was knocked out in Week 1 after being crunched by Roy Robertson-Harris in the second quarter, here’s a reminder:

The Bears’ top-ranked defense really did a number on Rodgers in 2018, sacking him seven times in two games. And when given a chance to seek out revenge for his heroic Week 1 come-from-behind win, Chicago’s defense rose to the occasion and put on a show. Rodgers was sacked five times while Chicago also dished out a whopping nine quarterback hits in the team’s division-clinching win against Green Bay.

But still … playing through a tibia plateau fracture and sprained MCL and leading the charge in a monumental (and from my perspective, maddening as all heck) comeback is one thing. But to play a full 16-game season on it is something else. Rodgers wasn’t himself last year and it showed. And now, we have an explanation as to why. Heck, simply typing “tibia plateau fracture” made me cringe.

It’s wild to think of how that Week 1 loss ultimately served as a motivational tool that pushed the 2018 Bears toward winning the NFC North. Injuries might have held the Packers back last year, but a considerable amount of drama definitely didn’t help matters. But with clean slates all around and everyone’s health is in good order, business will soon pick up in the NFL’s most storied rivalry. Bring it on!

Reminder, Aaron Rodgers stinks:

written by

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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