GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Don't expect Aaron Rodgers to practice much before next Sunday's NFC Championship Game. His strained left calf muscle came through "a little bit worse" after the Green Bay Packers' 26-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field.
But he says he'll be ready for 60 minutes against the Seattle Seahawks and what he hopes is another 60 in the Super Bowl.
"I think I've got 120 minutes left in me," Rodgers said Sunday. "So I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I can play all those minutes."
He barely practiced last week; his only real work came Thursday, when he took part in about half of practice. He spent far more time undergoing treatment, which included acupuncture, than he did practicing since he re-injured his strained left calf in the regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions.
He said he knew he wouldn't be fully healthy for Sunday's game, and the same probably will hold true in Seattle.
"I've got to give a lot of credit to our training staff," Rodgers said. "They spent a lot of hours with me this week. They did a great job of getting me ready. My acupuncturist as well. She really helps. I'd like to say thanks to all of the fans and medical people out there who sent in ideas over the hotline. There was some really interesting ones. Kind of wish at some point we could release some of the emails and messages we got, but I know they're all in good faith there, so I appreciate the ideas. But, ultimately, it came down to our training staff, and they helped me get through this one."
Gimpy and ineffective in the first half turned into gimpy and spectacular in the second half. Rodgers had just 90 yards passing with one touchdown, and the Packers trailed 14-10 at halftime. He finished with 317 yards and three touchdown passes.
"Just an incredible game for Aaron and I think especially for what he's been through the last two weeks," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.