News came out on Monday afternoon that Jordy Nelson fractured two ribs, and it would take an ‘incredible effort’ to play on Sunday. If Nelson plays, it might only be as a decoy. If anything, Green Bay can hope he’ll be ready for Super Bowl if Packers make it that far. Many will look to 2015 and write off Packers yet again because they remember how much this team struggled without Nelson. But this isn’t the same story.

Davante Adams faced much scrutiny last season for his play without Nelson, but this year, the story has been far different. At times, Adams looked like the number one option, and it’s clear he will be the man in Green Bay for years to come. Haters are still coming at his neck, and my hope is Adams proves them all wrong. The jury is still out on Randall Cobb. Sure, he looked great against New York, but the facts are he didn’t have a strong 2016 campaign.

The x-factors who make this different are Geronimo Allison and Jared Cook. Green Bay didn’t have these guys last season. No player can compare to either of those players. Allison is 6’3 physical receiver Green Bay lacked for years. Cook has Jermichael Finley qualities to him. Packers are much more set up to handle Nelson’s absence than they were last year.

And the other thing is Aaron Rodgers is playing on a level we haven’t seen before. These Rodgers outings are becoming an out-of-body experience. It’s unbelievable to watch him play the sport of football better than any one else on the field. It doesn’t feel like there isn’t a team Rodgers couldn’t beat right now. Some of the analysts made the comment last week – ‘Do you really want to bet against Rodgers with the hot streak he’s on?’ The defenses that are left in the NFC are not out of this world either. He can put numbers against those teams remaining.

When Packers and Rodgers are at their very best is when everyone counts them out. The narrative that they can’t do it without Nelson will build and add fuel to the fire to the best quarterback in the world.

Charlie.