Aaron Rodgers Update: Can the Packers Win without Their QB?

The Green Bay Packers were dealt a huge blow on Sunday in their 16-13 overtime loss to the Washington Redskins as their franchise quarterback went down with a concussion near the end of the game.

Coach Mike McCarthy thinks the concussion stemmed from helmet-to-helmet contact between Rodgers and defensive end Jeremy Jarmon on the Packers final offensive play of the game, in which Rodgers threw an interception.

Rodgers was slow to get up and did not talk to the media after the game, his status for Sunday's game against Miami is in question.

Along with the concussion suffered by Rodgers, the Packers lost tight end Jermichael Finley to a torn meniscus, linebacker Nick Barnett will need possible season-ending surgery on his wrist, tight end Donald Lee, linebacker Clay Matthews and safety Derrick Martin also went down during the game and will, in all likelihood, miss time.

So, with decimation from injury, the question remains, can the Packers keep winning games while their training room is so overcrowded?

Well, in order to continue to win games and have a shot at the NFC North title, there are three things that the Packers must do.

Have Faith in Flynn

If it turns out that Aaron Rodgers must miss playing time due to his concussion, then the Packers will have to turn to the only backup on their roster, former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn.

This seems like a huge reason for the fans in Green Bay to worry, considering Flynn has a career passer rating of 37.4, which isn't exactly an encouraging number.

Flynn, however, has a small sample size of time played, with only 17 passing attempts in two full seasons in the NFL.

Matt Flynn has had plenty of experience playing in important games as he was the starter for LSU in 2007, the year they beat Ohio State for the National Championship. In that season he racked up 2407 yards and 21 touchdowns manning the quarterback role, and won the BCS National Championship MVP.

While it is true, that having Flynn lined up behind the center won't be great, and it will be nothing near the last two quarterbacks to start for the Packers, it shouldn't end up as bad as it seems.

Rely on Defense

Green Bay has had a pretty steady defense all season long, and if in fact Rodgers does have to sit against Miami, they should be able to do enough for the team to be competitive.

They have been pretty good at taking the ball away from the opposing team, with six interceptions and four forced fumbles this year. And, after what Miami did in the game last week against New England, there shouldn't be much worry about creating turnovers against the Dolphins and Chad Henne.

If they put pressure on the young quarterback, which they have the tools to do with 21 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss already this year, they should be able to get him rattled like the Patriots were able to do.

They must try to keep Henne worried about the veteran Charles Woodson roaming around the field and ready to come screaming into the backfield at any moment, and keep everyone else worried about the man in the middle, A.J Hawk, who has the uncanny Brian Urlacher-ish ability to be involved in every play.

Work Harder

After watching the game against Washington, the biggest problem with the Green Bay offense wasn't the decimation from injuries, it was their lazy play in the field.

The Packers had seven dropped passes against the Redskins which were the biggest game changers of the day. Without those drops, there could have been a different outcome.

Four such drops were by veteran Donald Driver and for a receiver of his caliber to drop that many passes in a game, it is more indicative of laziness and shortcutting rather than a bad offense.

The receivers need to be more aggressive and catch the ball with their hands out front, rather than cradling the ball, giving defenders an opening to knock it out and take away crucial yards.

The Packers shouldn't be too worried about the injury to Aaron Rodgers, even if he misses a game, they need to focus more on fundamentals and not getting ahead of themselves.

It is the oldest cliché in the book, but they need to start taking games one at a time, rather than looking ahead to the future, which is what it seems like is happening.