GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Clay Matthews' groin injury, which kept him out of last Sunday's game at Pittsburgh, afforded him the opportunity to spend more time around Aaron Rodgers.

And not just for another State Farm commercial.

The Green Bay Packers linebacker got an up-close look at the quarterback's rehab from his broken collarbone and came away with this revelation: "I think we probably should have kept him off IR."

That doesn't mean Rodgers' collarbone would be healed in time for him to play any earlier than Week 15 at Carolina -- the earliest game he could play in, based on the injured reserve rules that state a player must sit out at least eight games before a team uses one of its two designated-to-return spots.

"The way he's coming along, some of the balls he's throwing, accuracy-wise, everything a quarterback has to do is pretty remarkable," Matthews added.

Rodgers, who on Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh threw in public for the first time since he broke his right clavicle on Oct. 15, could return to practice by the end of this week. But the Packers have not made an announcement about whether that will happen. The earliest he could practice would be Friday -- six weeks from the date he went on IR -- but the Packers don't practice on Fridays, so any return wouldn't happen until Saturday.

"It would be really neat to see him out there, but unfortunately he'll have to wait two [more] weeks to [play]," Matthews said. "Who knows if it will give us a boost or a jolt? It’s always good when [Rodgers is on the field]."

Said receiver Jordy Nelson: "We'll wait and see, I guess. I'm not really worried about it, to be honest with you. If he is, that'd be great. Obviously, that means he's progressed and doing what he needs to do to be ready if he's able to come back. Yeah, it'd be fun to see him out there, but obviously that won't affect what's going on for Sunday."

Rodgers said he would return this season if his collarbone, which was surgically repaired with plates and screws, is healed. But the Packers (5-6) probably wouldn't put the two-time NFL MVP on the field if the playoffs weren't within reach. They have winnable games against Tampa Bay at home on Sunday and at Cleveland the following week before Rodgers could play against the Panthers.

"We have to win these next five," said Matthews, who returned to practice Wednesday. "I mean, that's the reality of it. I don't have any 'relax' one-liners or 'run the table' or whatever. I'll leave that up to Aaron. But that's the reality of it. We have to get it done. Part of that is if you're looking at the big picture, I know no game is bigger than the next one, but we have to win these next two and when Aaron's back at the helm, we have a pretty good squad. That's the reality of it. So, yeah, hopefully we get to see him because that means we're winning ballgames."