The 2022 NFL season heads into its final two weeks with battles for the postseason and for playoff seeding set to go right to the wire.

Nine teams have already clinched their place in the postseason, and there are seven teams with clinching scenarios in Week 17.

That should make for a fascinating slate of games in which the finer details that often prove decisive will be even more critical.

In a week where so many have so much to play for, Stats Perform has picked out the biggest games of the week and used its advanced data to break down the key matchups that could settle their outcomes.

Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Win Probability: Buccaneers 72.9 per cent

Key Matchup: Panthers' run game vs. Tampa Bay defense

The Buccaneers know the task in front of them at Raymond James Stadium: win and, despite an extremely underwhelming season, and they are in the playoffs as champions of the dismal NFC South.

Lose and the Panthers will have the lead of the division with the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay heading into the final week of the regular season.

Carolina stunningly prevailed 21-3 over Tampa Bay in Week 7 and the key to that win will again likely determine whether the Panthers can complete the sweep.

The Panthers averaged 6.4 yards per rush in that victory and head into this game on the back of racking up 320 yards on the ground in a dominant win over the Detroit Lions.

While Carolina had success running the ball against Tampa Bay in the previous meeting, the Buccaneers remain one of the better teams in the NFL defending the ground game. Indeed, their run success rate allowed of 33.7 per cent is tied for the fourth-best in the NFL.

If the Bucs can take away the Carolina ground game and force Sam Darnold to win the game on his arm, Tampa Bay figure to be excellently positioned to claim victory and the fourth seed in the NFC playoffs.

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

Win Probability: Vikings 56.3 per cent

Key Matchup: Justin Jefferson vs. Jaire Alexander

Way back in Week 1, the Vikings cruised to a 23-7 win over the Packers that set the tone for hugely contrasting seasons. The Vikings have usurped the Packers as the dominant force in the NFC North, though each of their 11 wins since the season-opening defeat of Green Bay have been by one score.

Though the Vikings' ability to close out tight games has been extremely impressive, their inability to put teams away earlier gives them an air of vulnerability that Green Bay will look to exploit as the 7-8 Packers aim to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Still looking over their shoulders at the hottest team in football, the San Francisco 49ers, in the race for the second seed in the NFC, and within touching distance of the Philadelphia Eagles in the fight for the one seed, the Vikings have no shortage of motivation to make it two wins out of two against their biggest rivals this season.

Their simplest route to claiming a comfortable win over the Packers is to feed the man who shredded Green Bay in the season opener. Justin Jefferson had nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns in that contest and has continued to embellish his resume as arguably the best wide receiver in football in 2022.

No receiver in the NFL has more receptions of 20 yards or more than Jefferson's 27 this season, and the Packers will be desperate to try to limit his impact at Lambeau Field.

The debate in Week 1 surrounded whether the Packers should have had cornerback Jaire Alexander shadow Jefferson and he will surely look to match up with the Vikings star this time around.

While not performing at his All-Pro level of 2020, Alexander is 23rd among outside cornerbacks with at least 200 coverage snaps for burn rate, which measures how often a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted. Alexander has allowed receivers to win their matchup on 33 of his 72 targets for a burn rate of 45.9 per cent.

Jefferson will still fancy he can get the better of Alexander and, coming off a strong performance against the Miami Dolphins, the latter's ability to contain one of the NFL's premier offensive weapons may have a significant bearing on whether the Packers are playing postseason football in the second full week of January.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills

Win Probability: Bills 61.5 per cent

Key Matchup: Joe Burrow vs. Buffalo pass rush

The Bengals and Bills square off in one of the most significant Monday Night Football games in recent memory with both teams firmly in the mix for the one seed in the AFC.

Defeat for the Bills would likely give the Kansas City Chiefs, who face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, top spot going into Week 18, but it would also see the Bengals leapfrog them and put Cincinnati in position to potentially host two home playoff games. The Bengals also hold the tiebreaker over the Chiefs but are a game back on Kansas City.

Even with a win in Buffalo, the Bengals would likely need help from the Las Vegas Raiders against the Chiefs in Week 18 to top the AFC. Their path to keeping those hopes alive with victory in Orchard Park surrounds the man who propelled Cincinnati to the Super Bowl last season, Joe Burrow.

Though the Bengals' offensive line has improved this year, it still ranks 24th in pass block win rate. Buffalo's defense, missing Von Miller following his season-ending knee injury, is fourth in pass rush win rate.

It is a mismatch on paper, but one Burrow can negate with his ability to get the ball out quickly and accurately.

Only Tom Brady (2.35 seconds) has a quicker average time to throw from snap to release than Burrow (2.45 seconds) among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts, and the Cincinnati quarterback has again been devastatingly accurate with his ball placement. He has delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 87.5 per cent of attempts, the third-best ratio in the league (min. 200 throws).

Burrow is a quarterback who in his still young pro career has shone while under the biggest spotlights. Both he and a Buffalo defense minus the player recruited in the offseason to help put the Bills over the top, will hope to prove they are ready to deliver in the pressure cooker of the playoffs by producing a decisive performance in a game that will go a long way to deciding how complicated each team's path becomes.

Aaron Rodgers was held out of practice on Wednesday by the Green Bay Packers but says he is "feeling a lot better" ahead of Sunday's must-win game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Packers quarterback has been banged up throughout this season, nursing a right thumb injury along with sore ribs, picking up a left knee issue in Sunday's 26-20 win over the Miami Dolphins.

That victory, the Packers' third straight win, kept their playoffs hopes alive with a 7-8 record in the NFC North, but losing to the division-leading Vikings will all but put an end to that, with Rodgers' availability likely to be pivotal.

"I got a lot of body weight on my knee," Rodgers told reporters about the injury sustained when defensive tackle Christian Wilkins fell on him.

"Had some extra flexion I haven't known for the last 20 years. So just been doing rehab the last few days and feeling a lot better."

Rodgers did play out Sunday's win but said fluid began to build on his knee during the flight home from Florida to Wisconsin.

The 39-year-old four-time MVP, who hoped to practice on Thursday, said these issues were part and parcel of the NFL.

"You're dealing with something throughout the year whether it's a major or minor, always got to do the body maintenance," Rodgers said.

"But it's a good opportunity for [backup QB Jordan Love] to practice and get his reps in, and it's a good opportunity for me to get some rest."

The Packers would be eliminated from playoffs contention if they lose to the Vikings, and one of the Detroit Lions (7-8) or the Washington Commanders (7-7-1) win their Week 17 games against the Chicago Bears and the Cleveland Browns respectively.

Tua Tagovailoa's performance in the Miami Dolphins' defeat to the Green Bay Packers is "something every quarterback goes through", according to coach Mike McDaniel.

The 2020 first-round pick threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter as the Dolphins blew a 10-point lead on Christmas Day against the Packers, eventually going down 26-20 at Hard Rock Stadium.

With just a handful of games left until the end of the regular season, the loss moves the Dolphins to an 8-7 record, having suffered four straight defeats.

Tagovailoa's performance was widely criticised afterwards, but McDaniel offered his full backing to his quarterback, suggesting they will work as a team to figure out how to bounce back from a poor performance.

"It's a challenge, but it's also something every quarterback goes through," he said. "It's one of those necessary things you have to really figure out.

"You can't let the past influence the present. I think there could be some portions that have to do with him snowballing in his own mind.

"But he's such a strong individual that I've very confidence he'll be able to get through that. This team needs him.

"This team needs myself to make sure all those situations are not putting him behind the eight-ball, and then the quarterback needs the rest of his team to execute so he doesn't have to do too much on his own."

The Dolphins travel to the New England Patriots on New Year's Day, before wrapping up their regular campaign against the New York Jets, likely needing to win both to reach the postseason.

The Green Bay Packers' defense played a spectacular fourth quarter to deliver a 26-20 win against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

It was the third consecutive win for the surging Packers, who were 4-8 before the streak, but now have a chance to make the playoffs if they can defeat the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions in a pair of January games at Lambeau Field to close the season.

Against the Dolphins, the Packers fell behind in the first quarter after Jaylen Waddle took a pass 84 yards for the longest offensive touchdown to ever occur in a Christmas Day game.

They tied things up with a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Marcedes Lewis, before a Jeff Wilson Jr goal-line touchdown run put the Dolphins up 20-13 at halftime.

The Green Bay defense was a completely different beast after the break, holding the Dolphins scoreless as they made quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's life miserable down the stretch.

Entering the fourth quarter tied at 20-20, all three of the Dolphins' possessions in the last period ended in interceptions, gifting the Packers the field position needed for a pair of field goals to take the lead and the win.

Rodgers completed 24 of his 38 passes for 238 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Tagovailoa was 16-of-25 for 310 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

The Dolphins have now lost four in a row, dropping to a murky 8-7 after appearing destined for the playoffs at 8-3.

The Green Bay Packers have locked up their biggest impending free agent by agreeing to a four-year, $68million extension with versatile offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins, according to NFL.com.

Jenkins, a Pro Bowl selection in 2020, will receive a $24m signing bonus and can earn up to $74m over the life of the contract with incentives.

The deal makes Jenkins the NFL's second-highest-paid guard in terms of annual salary, behind only the Indianapolis Colts' Quenton Nelson. 

Jenkins, who turns 27 on Monday, had been slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and likely would have been franchise tagged by Green Bay if an extension was not reached.

A second-round pick of the 2019 draft, Jenkins has started 50 regular season games and four postseason contests over his four NFL seasons. The Mississippi State product has spent the majority of his time at left guard but has made multiple starts at both tackle spots as well as center.

Jenkins started eight games at left tackle in place of injured two-time All-Pro David Bakhtiari in 2021 before tearing his ACL that November. He returned to start 12 games this season, seven at left guard and five at right tackle.

As in the NFL, not every team maintains an active interest in fantasy football at this stage in the year.

But for those who still have title hopes, there is no room for error.

Finding an edge can be tricky as franchises outside the playoff picture wind down for the year and the league's leading lights think about resting up for the postseason.

But Stats Perform has picked out four players and a defense that could make the difference in Week 16.

Quarterback: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Commanders

Nobody – at least nobody still in contention now – had any real interest in Purdy at the start of the year as he was the 49ers' third-choice QB, but that means he remains available in a number of leagues. It may well be time to fix that, with Purdy one of the outstanding performers across Weeks 14 and 15.

Josh Allen alone threw more touchdown passes (five to Purdy's four) without throwing an interception, while the rookie's 8.55 yards per pass attempt ranked third. Purdy was the sole QB in the NFL with a passer rating of at least 115.0 in two starts over this period. In fact, Aaron Rodgers is the only other player in league history to have had such a passer rating in his first two career starts.

Purdy is an obvious option for any fantasy player suffering QB woe, with the 49ers having clinched the NFC West but unlikely to slow too much as they hunt down the Minnesota Vikings and the second seed in the NFC.

Running Back: Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Gardner Minshew would be another popular pick at QB, with Jalen Hurts injured, but the Philadelphia Eagles still have not ruled out their MVP candidate. On the other hand, the Colts have shut down Jonathan Taylor for the year.

However, Indy would be wise to press on with the run game against the Chargers; only the Packers (42.9 per cent) have allowed opponents greater success on run plays this year than the Chargers (42.5 per cent).

That should mean plenty of touches again for Moss, who had 24 carries last week – as many as he had across the rest of the year combined.

Wide Receiver: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers @ Miami Dolphins

The Packers' season never really got going, with Aaron Rodgers unable to make his receiving corps work without the departed Davante Adams.

But Watson, who had just 14 targets through nine weeks, has really come to the fore of late. Since Week 10, Watson has seven receiving TDs – leading the league ahead of Adams (five) – and has converted 17 of his 19 receptions into first downs.

Over the past two weeks, only two defenses have given up more receiving yards (671) and more receiving TDs (five) than Miami. They have also tied the Detroit Lions in allowing a league-worst 32 receiving first downs in this time.

Tight End: Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets

Engram has been a steady performer in his first year with the Jaguars, but there is reason to believe he may be able to move to another level now as Trevor Lawrence ignites this Jacksonville offense.

Over the past two weeks, the Jags rank second in net passing yards (679) and lead the way for TD passes (seven) and points (76).

Engram caught two of those TDs and has led the team in targets (25), catches (19) and receiving yards (224) over this period. He and those who can call on him for fantasy purposes are among the chief beneficiaries of Lawrence's late surge.

Defense/Special Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals

Opposition teams have been successful on only 36.5 per cent of plays against the Buccaneers this year, making this the league's sixth-best defense.

And now they will be faced with a Cardinals offense manned by third-string QB Trace McSorley, who is in line for his first career start despite struggling badly from his limited snaps so far this year.

McSorley has not thrown a single TD pass in 2022 but has tossed three picks, completing only 15 of his 29 pass attempts for an atrocious passer rating of 29.5.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay acknowledged 2022 has been "a very humbling season" after the Super Bowl champions were eliminated from playoff contention.

Less than a year on from winning Super Bowl LVI, an injury-wrecked Rams side slipped to a 24-12 loss against the Green Bay Packers on Monday to officially put the postseason beyond their reach.

No Baker Mayfield heroics were able to save them this time around, and with a 4-10 record, they are tied with the 1999 Denver Broncos for the most losses coming off claiming the sport's biggest prize.

Asked whether he could have imagined his side's underperformance just months on from the greatest high of all, McVay acknowledged it had been a chastening campaign for his team and himself.

"I think it's hard to say that you could [have expected this]," he said. "You certainly can't, but this is the reality that we're in, and this is where we're at.

"My job is to focus on [finishing] up the season with the right competitive spirit, with the mindset and mentality that's reflective of who those guys are in the locker room and who those coaches are.

"There's been a lot of things I've thought about that I think you can make sense of, but it still doesn't make it any easier. It's a very humbling season, for sure."

McVay was adamant the Rams will not fold in the remaining weeks of the campaign, even with only pride to play for now, and credited his team for their performances amid a number of trying situations.

"This has been a real struggle in a lot of instances, a lot of adversity that we've gone through," he added. "But I think what we've seen from our guys is they're going to continue to battle.

"They're going to finish up these last three games the right way, with the right mindset and mentality, and we'll compete to the best of our ability.

"That's all I know how to do, and I trust that that's exactly what we'll do collectively as a group."

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay acknowledged 2022 has been "a very humbling season" after the Super Bowl champions were eliminated from play-off contention.

Less than a year on from winning Super Bowl LVI, an injury-wrecked Rams side slipped to a 24-12 loss against the Green Bay Packers on Monday to officially put the postseason beyond their reach.

No Baker Mayfield heroics were able to save them this time around, and with a 4-10 record, they are tied with the 1999 Denver Broncos for the most losses coming off claiming the sport's biggest prize.

Asked whether he could have imagined his side's underperformance just months on from the greatest high of all, McVay acknowledged it had been a chastening campaign for his team and himself.

"I think it's hard to say that you could [have expected this]," he said. "You certainly can't, but this is the reality that we're in, and this is where we're at.

"My job is to focus on [finishing] up the season with the right competitive spirit, with the mindset and mentality that's reflective of who those guys are in the locker room and who those coaches are.

"There's been a lot of things I've thought about that I think you can make sense of, but it still doesn't make it any easier. It's a very humbling season, for sure."

McVay was adamant the Rams will not fold in the remaining weeks of the campaign, even with only pride to play for now, and credited his team for their performances amid a number of trying situations.

"This has been a real struggle in a lot of instances, a lot of adversity that we've gone through," he added. "But I think what we've seen from our guys is they're going to continue to battle.

"They're going to finish up these last three games the right way, with the right mindset and mentality, and we'll compete to the best of our ability.

"That's all I know how to do, and I trust that that's exactly what we'll do collectively as a group."

Aaron Rodgers believes his Green Bay Packers are good enough to win the rest of their games and make a charge for the playoffs after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 24-12 on Monday.

In freezing conditions, Rodgers led the Packers to their second consecutive victory to take their record to 6-8, but they will need to win-out against the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions to have any chance of postseason action.

The Rams were without several of their top players, including defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who was named to his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl before the game.

Rodgers said "nobody was upset AD wasn't playing" and that the Packers "should have scored 30" in his absence.

He was rather dismissive of the undermanned Rams in his post-game media appearance, but said he now believes the Packers can go undefeated the rest of the way, despite the tough tests that lie ahead.

"I do [believe]," he said. "We are going to play three better football teams, but I do, definitely.

"They're all good football teams. Miami are playing for the playoffs, Minnesota are obviously division-winners and coming off a big win, and Detroit have won six out of seven and are playing really well.

"It's going to be three difficult games, but two of them are at home against dome teams, and it will be January for those two. We've notoriously been pretty good in those games over the years."

When asked what has been the difference between the Packers in their past two wins compared to the eight-game stretch before where they went 1-7, he said this league is all about momentum.

"You win a game, the vibes are pretty good." he said. "We've just been practising a little bit better, the energy's been a little bit better. 

"It’s hard to put your finger on it. We've played a couple of teams we should have beat, but that being said, it's still tough to win in the league. 

"I think we can beat anybody. We can also lose to anybody, but when you win a couple in a row, it starts to give you some confidence."

It was Rodgers' ninth consecutive win in Monday night fixtures, but he joked that the primetime slot does not have the same shine it used to.

"When you're a young player, you dream about playing on Monday nights," he said. "When you're an older player, you want those noon games. 

"It's past my bedtime. I'm ready to go home and go to sleep."

The Green Bay Packers remain in the playoff hunt for at least another week after a relatively comfortable 24-12 home win against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday.

After a field goal each to open the game, the Packers pulled ahead in the second quarter through A.J. Dillon's eight-yard touchdown run, and they were never in danger of being tracked down.

Dillon's second touchdown run of the game – this time from the one-yard line – gave Green Bay some breathing room, before fellow running back Aaron Jones got on the end of Aaron Rodgers' only touchdown pass of the game to extend the margin to 24-6.

The Rams snagged their only touchdown of the game in the final seconds of the third quarter, with Baker Mayfield finding Tyler Higbee on an eight-yard connection to make it a two-score game heading into the last, but they could not mount any more meaningful offense.

In freezing conditions, Rodgers completed 22 of his 30 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but it was the Packers' two-pronged rushing attack that was the difference.

Dillon was inefficient with just 36 yards from his 11 carries, but he made up for it with his two tough touchdown runs and three catches for 35 yards through the air. Meanwhile, Jones totalled 90 yards from his 17 carries, adding four catches for 36 yards and a score.

The Packers are now 6-8 after back-to-back wins, and they will need to keep it going to defeat the Miami Dolphins, the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions in the final three weeks to finish above .500 and potentially sneak into the playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers still want Aaron Rodgers to play on next season, says general manager Brian Gutekunst, despite the quarterback's cryptic words over the weekend.

The former Super Bowl champion is in the middle of a three-year contract that runs through the 2024 season, having spent his entire professional career in Wisconsin.

But following Sunday's 28-19 win over the Chicago Bears, Rodgers cast doubt over the subject of his future, stating: "There has got to be mutual desire on both sides."

Amid their bye week, Gutekunst said no discussions have taken place over the 39-year-old's next steps, but stressed they still want the veteran to remain on their books.

"That's an offseason-type kind of decision, but surely, yeah," he stated. "We want all our guys back. We made a big commitment to [Rodgers] this offseason, so that was obviously something that was really important to us.

"But like we've talked about in the past, this is something we'll sit down with him after the season, and it will be something we do together and move forward that way.

"We don't talk about those things during the season very often. We just talk more about our team when we speak. Certainly, that'll be something we get to.

"We went through something in the offseason where it was a very big commitment on our part. It wasn't certainly for one year. B we really haven't had any conversations about that stuff during the season."

Rodgers' comments come amid a difficult season for the Packers, who have posted a 5-8 record and are on the cusp of elimination from playoff contention.

Their next game comes against the Los Angeles Rams in just under a fortnight, with the team facing a fight to recover their campaign.

Aaron Rodgers always felt confident the Green Bay Packers would rally to triumph in a "special rivalry" with the Chicago Bears and revelled in helping the franchise make NFL history.

Trailing 19-10 through three quarters, the Packers outscored the Bears 18-0 in the fourth to run out 28-19 winners and rack up an eighth straight victory in matches between the two teams.

Back in October 2021, Rodgers went viral for yelling "I own you" at Bears fans during a typically volatile 24-14 win.

Sunday was by vintage Rodgers, who has been contending with a broken thumb since October and injured his ribs against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, but he completed 18 of 31 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown en route to improving to 25-5 against the Bears.

Asked whether this continued his "ownership" of the Bears, Rodgers replied: "Yes.

"We've got a special rivalry that I've been able to be a part of and there was probably a lot of people that felt good at 19-10, so did I.

"A win against the Bears is always a little more special, there was other things involved, the all-time win total was cool, another fourth-quarter comeback.

"I told the guys in the locker room we've played good enough at times to beat anyone in the league, and at times played poor enough to lose to just about anybody."

With the win, the Packers moved outright top on the list of all-time NFL victories at 787, one clear of the Bears in second.

It is a statistic Rodgers takes great pride in.

"It means a lot, part of the legacy is you always want to leave the place you're at better than you found it," he said.

"Right now, we flipped the all-time series [versus the Bears], all-time wins, we've had a lot of success against them.

"In a few years you'll look back and feel pretty good about your contributions to the rivalry."

The Minnesota Vikings took another big stride towards the playoffs with a 27-22 victory over the New York Jets, courtesy of fine showing in the second quarter.

All square with a field goal each in the first quarter, the Vikings hit boiling point to score 17 points without return to enter the half with a commanding lead.

A rushing touchdown each from Dalvin Cook, his eighth of the year, and Alexander Mattison left the Jets needing a response from the third quarter in order to maintain hope for their own postseason push.

The Jets did exactly that, scoring 12 unanswered points, all from the boot of Greg Zuerlein, to claw their way back into the game – Mike White then scoring a touchdown in the fourth on the Jets' immediate possession after Justin Jefferson added further gloss to the Vikings advantage.

It was not to be though, as Braxton Barrios dropped a pass in the endzone for the Jets, before White's last-ditch throw on the final possession was picked off at the goal line by Camryn Bynum to clinch a tenth win of the season for Minnesota.

However, with the Detroit Lions 40-14 victors against the Jaguars, the Vikings did not get the favour they needed from Jacksonville and will have to wait to cement their postseason spot.

Packers lead the way

The Green Bay Packers scored 17 straight fourth-quarter points, as well as a blocked field goal and two interceptions, on their way to a comeback victory against the Chicago Bears – which created NFL history.

Trailing 10-0 and 16-3 in the first half, Aaron Rodgers' side fought back to seal a 28-19 win and became the NFL's all-time winningest franchise, taking their franchise total to 787.

Honours even between Commanders and Giants

The divisional rivalry between the Washington Commanders and New York Giants went all the way into overtime, after Taylor Heinicke's 28-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson levelled the score at 20-20 to end the fourth quarter.

Neither side managed to get the score they needed to secure what would have been a valuable win for the playoff charge, resulting in the first tie between the two franchises since 1997 and only the fifth all-time.

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will keep an "open mind" to the Green Bay Packers shutting him down this season.

Rodgers picked up a rib injury in Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and has been playing with a broken thumb on his throwing arm.

The Packers are third in the NFC North with a 4-8 record and given Rodgers' injuries, there has been talk of shutting him down for the season to recover and give young backup Jordan Love an opportunity.

Rodgers and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur have dismissed that notion this week with the quarterback determined to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

But the 38-year-old offered a hint that he may be open to consider being shut down in the right circumstances, when speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

"I'd love to finish the season out, but I understand this is a business and there's a lot of us kind of older guys who play a decent amount and they might want to see some younger guys play," Rodgers said.

"Hopefully we don't have to have that conversation. But if that conversation comes up, I'll approach that with an open mind and without any bitterness or resentment.

"Obviously, I want to win out and we don't have to have those conversations. I understand if we don't that's a possibility to have that conversation."

Rodgers was dismissive when asked about the benefit of being shut down with a view to next season.

"That's an assumption that this place won't look any different next year," Rodgers said. "Again, that's part of the conversation."

When asked why he wants to keep playing, Rodgers said: "Pride for one. Love of the game. They're paying me to play. A lot of different issues but I love to compete and want to be out there with my guys."

Rodgers has thrown 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 starts this season, with a 64.8 per cent completion rate. His nine interceptions are his most in a season since 2010.

Aaron Rodgers expects to play when the Green Bay Packers face the Chicago Bears on Sunday, having received positive news after undergoing a scan on his rib injury.

Rodgers exited last Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter after suffering from "intense pain" in his ribs, and he subsequently underwent an MRI on Monday.

The four-time NFL MVP was worried he had punctured a lung in the aftermath of the Packers' latest defeat, and head coach Matt LaFleur offered a vague response when asked about the quarterback's condition the day after their Week 12 clash.

However, Rodgers looks likely to be available against the Packers' NFC North rivals after using Tuesday's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show to offer a positive update on his fitness.

"I got good news with the scans yesterday, so I plan on playing this week," Rodgers said.

"There was an earlier shot in the game that kind of rattled the rib cage. I was trying to stretch some things out at half-time a little bit, and realised it probably wasn't some sort of muscle injury. 

"Then I got hit again in the third quarter and was just having a hard time breathing. 

"I pride myself on not coming out of games and I've played through a lot of different things over the years, some that got attention, some that haven't got attention. 

"But I was in some considerable pain and I feel like I just couldn't move out there really much at all. I wanted to go in and make sure it wasn't something really, really serious."

Rodgers has been playing with a broken thumb on his throwing arm for the last six weeks, and his latest injury setback sparked fears he could be ruled out for the remainder of 2022.

With the Packers struggling to a 4-8 record this season, Rodgers has recorded a 64.8 per cent completion rate, while his nine interceptions represent his highest total across a single campaign since 2010 (11).