Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Fractured wrist or not, Aaron Rodgers wants to lead his offense out at Soldier Field on Sunday. If he has it his way, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback will do just that.
Rodgers, who suffered the injury to his non-throwing arm in last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, doesn’t want to miss any time, if his work during this week is any indication. Rodgers is 24-5 against the Chicago Bears for his career.
“It would put most people out of commission,” Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones said Friday after practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “But when you have a love for the game like he does and you have that competitiveness about you, it’s hard to just get pulled away from it. … I feel like it’s really just the love of the game that you’ve got for yourself, and you just wanna go out there and prove what you can or can’t do, even if it’s a broken wrist or anything like that.
“I feel like that’s all it is for him, especially (with) him being much older in the game, and people still kinda doubting him just because of his age. I think he just wants to out there and prove people wrong. We shall see.”
Third-string rookie quarterback Will Howard dealt with a thumb injury he sustained during training camp. The ailment kept him out for a while, and he’s familiar with the sort of pain Rodgers is trying to shake off.
“He’s got some pretty unbelievable pain tolerance,” Howard said. “Just knowing what kind of pain comes with that injury — I’ve broken my hands and stuff before, obviously this year, broken my arms before — and it’s painful, man. The fact that he’s out there and going through reps, it says a lot. … He’s a tough dude, man.”
Practice squad receiver Max Hurleman has also marveled at the four-time Associated Press NFL MVP’s grit.
“The guy just loves ball,” Hurleman said. “He’s tough as nails, but, I mean, you see him trying to do this. I think he knows when you get to play as long as he has, you never know how many you have left. I think, in his eyes, he’s trying to take advantage of every single opportunity he can and just cherish every last moment.
“It speaks volumes to the type of guy he is and how much he loves this game that he is fighting to play this weekend.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Is Aaron Rodgers Playing vs. Bears? Steelers Teammates Weigh In
