Aaron Rodgers says fractured toe 'should be 100 percent by next week'

As was advertised, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers took the field for the first half of the Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions even though the Packers had already clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and despite the fact Rodgers has been dealing with a fractured pinkie toe since the opening half of November. 

Rodgers and company are enjoying a bye until they learn their opponent for the next round of the postseason tournament, and Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk notes the 38-year-old told reporters during Wednesday's media availability he hasn’t received a pain-killing injection for the hurting toe in some time. 

"That’s been the most encouraging thing. Got through last week without doing one," Rodgers explained about such shots. "It was just a pretty standard shot in the toe — very painful, but numbing agent. So that helped me get through the games. The whole goal was to be able to not have to do that and it’s been a few games now without doing that.

"So, I’m feeling good, practiced today. [I’m] close to 100 percent. I think I should be 100% probably by next week." 

Despite the dinged digit, Rodgers ended the regular season leading all eligible quarterbacks with a 111.9 passer rating and a 68.8 total QBR. Many expect he'll soon win the fourth MVP award of his Hall of Fame career.