Let's start with the bottom line: News that Aaron Rodgers will return from a broken left collarbone injury and start this Sunday for the Green Bay Packers not only makes them favored to beat the Chicago Bears, it also thrusts Green Bay back into the conversation of teams capable of emerging from the NFC playoff picture.
We don't know just how much the injury -- which impacted his non-throwing shoulder -- will limit Rodgers on Sunday, if at all. But what we do know is how things have unfolded with him out, as Green Bay is just 2-4-1 without Rodgers as the starter, with his fill-ins (the trio of Seneca Wallace, Scott Tolzien and most recently Matt Flynn) throwing just eight touchdowns compared with nine interceptions.
Let's dig deeper into what Rodgers' return means for the Packers' offense this Sunday, and how they can attack the Bears in a win-and-you're-in Week 17 showdown.
Where Flynn et al struggled
It's no mystery that Rodgers is the superior player to any of his backups, as he's arguably the best quarterback in football when healthy. But where did Flynn and other Packers QBs slip up where Rodgers excels?
It starts with accuracy. And not just completion percentage, which is a statistic that can be obscured by both the nature of throws and tightness of windows thrown into.