Pelissero: Packers will face even tougher test against Seahawks
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Aaron Rodgers says he never questioned whether he could finish.
The Green Bay Packers' star quarterback doesn't have any doubt about doing it again either, even if he wasn't making any predictions after Sunday's 26-21 triumph over the Dallas Cowboys about looking more like himself in next week's NFC championship game.
"I think I've got 120 minutes left in me," Rodgers said after completing 24 of 35 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns on a strained left calf that severely limited his normally dangerous mobility. "So, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I can play all those minutes."
The question is, can this Rodgers and these Packers do enough to pull off a major upset on the road against the best defense in the NFL and seal their second Super Bowl trip in five years?
"We have to," cornerback Tramon Williams said. "That's the mindset. We have to go out and do it. We're not here just because. We're here because we're capable of winning the championship, and the way he played today, even with his calf, we have to go out there to Seattle and do it."
The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks surely were watching closely as Rodgers played Sunday's game mostly from the pocket, operating from pistol and shotgun formations Packers coach Mike McCarthy used to alleviate the stress that comes from pulling away from center.
Rodgers missed with some flat-footed throws, particularly in the first half. He limped, hopped and skipped between plays. He never scrambled beyond the line of scrimmage. But Rodgers was at his best after McCarthy spread things out and opened up the offense after halftime.
No throw was better than the one threaded between two defenders to Richard Rodgers for a 13-yard touchdown that gave the Packers the lead with 9:10 to go – a play on which Aaron Rodgers said, under normal circumstances, he likely would've run instead.
"I thought he played huge today," McCarthy said of Rodgers. "His performance in the second half … that's as good as it gets. What he's done in this stadium the last two games, with the condition of his calf, is spectacular."
Unlike two weeks earlier in the regular-season finale that clinched the NFC North title with a win over the Detroit Lions, Rodgers never went down in a heap Sunday or headed to the locker room. He admitted he felt "a little bit worse" after the game was over, though.
Rodgers said his workload in practice this week probably will be similar to last, when he sat out Wednesday and was limited thereafter. He'll continue to get treatment and acupuncture in hopes of being ready to face the Legion of Boom and company, who owned the first meeting between the teams this season – a 36-16 Seahawks win in the NFL kickoff game Sept. 4.
"You've got to find a way," Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "It's kind of been our (thing). Whatever we're dealing with, we're fine. We're prepared. We're just going to play, man. Worrying about anything's not going to help it, that's for sure."
The Packers had 16 players on injured reserve when they won the Super Bowl after the 2011 season. But having a hobbled quarterback is a different deal, even if you're not preparing to face a disciplined, physical, intimidating Seahawks defense stacked with all-pros.
Veteran pass rusher Julius Peppers came up big Sunday. So did running back Eddie Lacy and receivers Davante Adams and Randall Cobb, who caught a deflected pass Rodgers said was intended for Jarrett Boykin to convert third-and-11 with 2 minutes to go and seal the decision.
"Man, it's unbelievable," Cobb said. "For the ball to get tipped and magically appear in my area – you can't tell me there's not a God."
A little luck never hurts this time of year. Neither does having a pivotal call go your way, such as referee Gene Steratore's decision to overturn Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant's incredible catch on fourth-and-2 in the shadow of Green Bay's goal line.
But the plays Rodgers made despite his limitations won't be forgotten around here anytime soon, no matter what happens next week. Do it again in Seattle, and the NFL MVP award Rodgers is likely to collect won't be his only reason for heading to Arizona in a couple weeks.
"It'll be a good test for us," Rodgers said. "It's fun to be still alive."
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Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero