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Just when things were rolling for the Green Bay Packers. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having an MVP-type season. Davante Adams is showing he’s the best wide receiver in the game. The offense is rolling, but the Packers suffered a devastating injury at practice Thursday that could slow down that well-oiled machine.

The Packers are in line for the top seed in the NFC

Entering Week 17, the Green Bay Packers have the best record in the NFC at 12-3. The offense is rolling as they head to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears, who find themselves battling for a postseason berth. A win over the Bears and the Packers are the NFC’s top seed.

The Packers can also clinch the No. 1 seed with a loss to the Bears. If the Seattle Seahawks lose to the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay will claim the top seed. The Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints enter with 11-4 records. The Seahawks own the tiebreaker over the Packers, but the Pack owns the tiebreaker over the Saints.

The Packers are coming off a very impressive 40-14 home victory over the Tennessee Titans. Home field advantage would be very beneficial to the Packers, who are used to playing in sub-freezing temperatures. The Packers have lost just once at home this year, falling to the Minnesota Vikings.

Aaron Rodgers shooting for another MVP

Aaron Rodgers may be having his best season at 37 years old. Rodgers has been getting stronger as the season wears on as well, as evidenced by his game last week. In a 40-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Rodgers completed 84% of his passes – in the snow – and threw four touchdowns.

It was the sixth time this season Rodgers has thrown four touchdowns in a game. He’s thrown at least one touchdown in every game except one, a loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s thrown at last three touchdowns 11 times.

For the season, Rodgers has thrown for 4,059 yards and has racked up 44 touchdown passes. He has completed better than 70% of his passes in 502 attempts. He appears to be the front-runner for his third MVP.

The Packers receive devastating news at practice Thursday

Multiple reports out of Green Bay have said Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari went down with a knee injury during practice. Those reports believe the injury is his ACL. If Bakhtiari’s injury is an ACL and season-ending, it’s a huge blow to the Packers.

Bakhtiari is the game’s best left tackle. He’s a big reason why Aaron Rodgers has only been sacked 19 times this year. According to Pro Football Focus, Bakhtiari has played in 420 snaps this season and has allowed one sack.

Bakhtiari is the highest-paid offensive lineman in the game. Six weeks ago, the Packers signed Bakhtiari to a record-setting four-year, $103.5 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid lineman in NFL history. Bakhtiari was a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

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Mike Thomas

Mike Thomas spent 23 years on staff and 16 years as the sports editor at The Herald News in Fall River, Mass., before joining Sportscasting in 2020. Mike has a deep knowledge of and passion for the NFL and NBA, and he excels at interviewing sports celebrities to find out their Super Bowl picks.

A New England Newspaper and Press Association award-winning columnist and an avid sports memorabilia collector, Mike enjoys keeping up with all the sports news and the works of former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. You can find more of Mike’s work on Muck Rack.