Like it or not, Aaron Rodgers will need to be the focal point of this offense on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Some people may have liked the team to ease him into things, but it’s highly unlikely that’s going to happen. Unfortunately for the Packers, Rodgers will have to be relied on to do a lot with this Carolina defense that is one of the best against running backs even if they struggle a bit versus Minnesota last week. That shouldn’t freak Packers fans out.

People are worried about too much for Rodgers in his first game back, and I’m not really sure I understand why. This guy practiced with the team for the last two weeks basically. He run drills with the second team, and from all accounts inside the team, Rodgers looks fantastic. Why is there a sudden panic that he might be rusty out of the gates? I do think Mike McCarthy would help him by shorter passes early on to get him into a little bit of a rhythm. But Rodgers being the guy on Sunday isn’t that big of a deal to me.

Here’s the other thing that should make you feel good about Rodgers being the man on Sunday… Carolina’s defense is leaking in the secondary. As of late, the 2016 problems for the Panthers are resurfacing as teams are passing at will again versus Carolina. Case Keenum had 280 yards and a touchdown last week. Drew Brees threw for 269 the week prior while Josh McCown went off for 307. That’s an average of 285.3. Add that to the fact Carolina blitzes a ton, this could be a tailor made for Rodgers who excels against a blitz.

I’m not saying he’s going to go out there and throw for 400 yards yet I wouldn’t be surprised if he eclipses the 300 yard mark especially if the team wins this on Sunday. It could be a shootout in the Queen City, and I’m glad Rodgers is on the side I cheer for.

Charlie.