Aaron Rodgers has been one of the biggest story lines in the NFL over the last decade. Whether it's winning MVP's, getting deep into the playoffs, or his retirement Rodgers dominates headlines. This season it's been for a different reason; his right Achilles tendon. Most fans and insiders thought the injury spelled the end of the season for Rodgers. But leave it to Aaron Rodgers to take a 9 month injury and come back in less than four months. It appears that Aaron Rodgers set his return date over the weekend. In a cryptic Instagram post Rodgers captioned a picture of a watch face with "A little more time...". Did Aaron Rodgers set his return date in this post? There are some who think so. I'll break it all down below, but here is the original post.
https://twitter.com/uSTADIUM/status/1720479847577731216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1720479847577731216%7Ctwgr%5E5df52219a418da1414a6a5aeee8562f91615cb13%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10095993-jets-aaron-rodgers-posts-cryptic-ig-story-amid-injury-rehab-a-little-more-time
I am not the first person to come up with this theory, but it seems like something Aaron Rodgers would do. The date is set for the 28th and the second hand is sitting directly on the 12. Well the Jets play the Browns on 12/28 on Thursday Night Football. That could just be a coincidence though. But the hour hand is on the 10 with the minute hand on the 8. There will be 108 days between the original injury and December 28th. The same date the Jets face the Browns. I was skeptical at first. But this seems like something Aaron Rodgers would do thinking he is the smartest guy and nobody would pick up on it. If you need more, here is a video from last where he tells Derwin James he is a few weeks away from coming back.
The NFL Week 9 brought some surprises, which has been a common theme with the entire season so far. Even with both the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers having bye weeks, some major action took place in the NFC. So, what's the NFC and AFC playoff picture, and where do all the teams stand?
Let's talk NFC first and then take a look at the AFC. One big game this weekend for the NFC was the Seattle Seahawks, who were totally clobbered by the Baltimore Ravens. Now, the Lions' loss to the Ravens doesn't look nearly as bad. This team is just on fire, and they tend to tear apart anyone in their way. Then, another hot game in the NFC was the Philadelphia Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys. This was a close one, but the Eagles pulled off an exciting win. Finally, the Minnesota Vikings, even without their fearless leader Kirk Cousins, snagged another big win. So, the Eagles sit on top of the NFC. When it comes to just the NFC North, the Lions are still on top, followed by the Vikings, Packers and Bears. Both the Vikings and Packers won last weekend, but those wins weren't blowouts, by any means.
Now, looking at the AFC, this league also had some surprises over the weekend. For one, the Kansas City Chiefs totally annihilated the Miami Dolphins in Germany. So, the Chiefs are still on top, but the Ravens are close behind.
Also, to that guy who called me out on Facebook early in the season for not including the Buffalo Bills as one of the NFL's top five teams, the Bills are now out of the top seven in the AFC after their latest loss. So, yeah, there you go, buddy. Jacksonville and Miami are still in the top four. I have to say that Jacksonville is a sleeper hit this season.
Here are the current NFC and AFC standings and the playoff picture.
NFC Standings
Division leaders:
Eagles: 8-1
Lions: 6-2
49ers: 5-3
Saints: 5-4
Wild Card race:
Seahawks: 5-3
Cowboys: 5-3
Vikings: 5-4
Commanders: 4-5
Falcons: 4-5
Buccaneers: 3-5
Packers: 3-5
Rams: 3-6
So, in the NFC, the Lions are the Eagles' current biggest threat. The AFC is even tougher, though.
AFC Standings
Division leaders:
1. Kansas City (7-2)
2. Baltimore (7-2)
3. Jacksonville (6-2)
4. Miami (6-3)
Wild-Card race:
5. Pittsburgh (5-3)
6. Cleveland (5-3)
7. Cincinnati (5-3)
8. New York Jets (4-3)
9. Buffalo (5-4)
10. Houston (4-4)
11. Indianapolis (4-5)
12. Las Vegas (4-5)
So, in the AFC, both Kansas City and Baltimore are threats to the Eagles. I think Baltimore is especially dangerous.
