CLEVELAND -- Brett Hundley had one goal when he took over after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone two months ago -- keep hope alive.
“My No. 1 thought going into it was: Keep our hopes alive to make the playoffs,” Hundley said.
In that case, Hundley -- and coach Mike McCarthy, who managed a first-time starting quarterback to three wins in seven starts -- deserves props on a job ... done.
It wasn’t always textbook West Coast offense all the time. In fact, it rarely was. But Sunday’s overtime win over the Cleveland Browns was Exhibit C in why Hundley and McCarthy got just enough done so that if Rodgers is cleared this week to return from his broken collarbone, there’s reason to put him back on the field.
“We’re still in it,” Hundley said. “At the end of the day, whatever happens, happens. I’m just here. When my number’s called upon, I’ll be ready. But in the meantime, that was my No. 1 goal and we’re still in it. Yeah, so, let’s keep rolling.”
In all three of Hundley’s wins, he made his best plays late. From the fourth-quarter throws to Davante Adams to beat the Bears to the read-option runs to set up the game-tying field goal and game-winning touchdown in overtime to beat the Buccaneers to the two touchdown passes to Adams on Sunday (one on a back-shoulder fade with 17 seconds left in regulation and a 25-yard catch and run in overtime), the former fifth-round draft pick at least showed plenty of moxie to make up for his lack of experience and shortcomings with accuracy and timing.
“I just think that those clutch situations, when it calls for somebody to step up and make a play, that’s what kind of brings out the best in him,” said Adams, who has caught five of Hundley’s eight touchdown passes this season. “You can see it in his eyes, you can see it in the huddle. He commands the huddle really well in those situations. For a young guys, it’s really impressive to see that.”
Yes, there were blunders along the way, too. His eight interceptions – five of which came at Lambeau Field – are pock marks on his record. He also made a terrible mistake when McCarthy made the surprising decision to bypass a field goal midway through the third quarter and go for it on fourth-and-1. Hundley botched what was supposed to be a counter toss play to the left by rolling right and then never flipping the ball back to Aaron Jones.
It didn’t make McCarthy’s decision look any better.
“That was just on me with the call and stuff like that,” Hundley said. “Just bad execution on my part.”
Hundley’s 3-4 record as a starter was slightly better than the Packers’ 2-4-1 mark with three different quarterbacks when Rodgers broke his left collarbone in 2013 only to return for the season finale and beat the Bears to win the NFC North.
“He plays his best football when the game is on the line,” McCarthy said. “You can’t teach that. He’s a winner.”
At 7-6, the Packers’ best chance to make the playoffs is via a wild-card berth and to ask Hundley to do what will be necessary to get the rest of the way there -- likely three wins in the final three weeks -- might be asking too much.
But if tests this week show Rodgers’ surgically repaired right clavicle has mended enough for team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie to give him the thumbs up to play Sunday at Carolina, then Hundley is off the hook.
“If he comes back, like I've been saying, arguably the best quarterback in the league, back to your team, everyone is going to get better,” Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said. “Not only him being out there, but also the shot in the arm as we talk about him coming back. Watching him in practice and what he's been able to do these past couple weeks, getting more and more reps in practice and throwing on the pads, I think it's a good sign. I'm not going to speak on his behalf, but we sure hope he's ready and if he is, we're going to expect the Aaron of old.”