Aaron Rodgers Injury Update: Packers' Quarterback Not Expected To Play Against Vikings By Sportsbook

The Green Bay Packers don’t know if Aaron Rodgers will play in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings because of a knee injury, and the team still has a few days to make a decision on their quarterback. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook doesn’t have that luxury, and the oddsmakers are banking on the future Hall of Famer missing Sunday afternoon’s contest.

The upcoming NFC North matchup is off the board at most Las Vegas and online sportsbooks because Rodgers’ status is up in the air. The Westgate has to set a point spread for every NFL game by Wednesday afternoon for the SuperContest, in which over 3,000 gamblers pick five games against the spread each week and compete for a grand prize of more than $1 million that's awarded at the end of the season. Forced to make a decision, Las Vegas’ largest sportsbook named the Packers a seven-point underdog at home against the Vikings.

That’s a stark difference from what the consensus betting line was at the beginning of the week. Just hours after Rodgers returned for the second half of Green Bay’s Week 1 matchup with the Chicago Bears, the Packers’ opened as a 1.5-point favorite over the Vikings at several sportsbooks, according to OddsShark. Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy made it known Monday afternoon that Rodgers wasn’t a given to start, and the quarterback didn’t practice Wednesday.

If it’s announced that Rodgers will start, you can bet that a ton of competitors in the Supercontest will pick the Packers. Rodgers is certainly the NFC’s best quarterback and arguably the best quarterback in the entire league.

Even when he’s not at 100 percent, Rodgers always gives Green Bay a chance to win when he’s on the field. The two-time MVP carried the Packers to a comeback victory against the Bears on Sunday night, throwing three fourth-quarter touchdowns on one good leg.

Green Bay might not be competitive with backup DeShone Kizer in the game for four quarters. The Packers were outscored 7-0 during the signal caller’s brief action in Week 1 as he threw a pick-six to Khalil Mack. Kizer was the NFL’s worst starting quarterback last season with an abysmal 60.5 passer rating.

Rodgers appears to be more optimistic about his chances of playing than the Westgate. He told the media Wednesday that he has a knee sprain and has been feeling "a little better" every day. Rodgers noted that he could still play Sunday without practicing all week.

No matter how well Rodgers played in the opener, he could struggle against Minnesota if his trademark mobility is limited. The Vikings had the NFL’s No.1 scoring defense last season with a top pass rush. Minnesota recorded three sacks and three interceptions against Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener.