Packers' Aaron Rodgers confident injured calf will improve

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Aaron Rodgers is confident his left calf will feel better when the Green Bay Packers play their first postseason game in a couple weeks.

Rodgers had to be carted into the locker room with the injury in the second quarter of Sunday's NFC North-clinching 30-20 win over Detroit. He came back in the third quarter, throwing for one touchdown and scoring on a quarterback sneak from the 1.

Rodgers said on his radio show on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee that he has been undergoing treatment. He said he didn't know if he would be 100 percent for the Packers' divisional round game on Jan. 11, though he was confident he would be ''in a better spot'' with the extra rest afforded by the team's first-round bye.

The injury first occurred two weeks ago in a win at Tampa Bay. Rodgers said that was on the inside part of his calf, whereas Sunday's injury was to the outside part of the muscle.

Green Bay is off through Friday, when practice resumes. The team will return to a normal week of preparation once its next opponent is determined out of this weekend's wild-card games. It could be Dallas, Carolina or Arizona coming to Lambeau Field.

''It's a significant injury ... you can't really say either way whether, what percentage it's going to be in the game,'' Rodgers said on the radio show. ''But I hope it's going to be ... feeling better than it was this past weekend.''

Offensive coordinator Tom Clements has said he was surprised when Rodgers walked out of the tunnel in the third quarter to return to the sideline. Rodgers played well despite an injury that limited his mobility, one of his biggest strengths.

Rodgers experienced more pain after Lions tackle Ndamukong Suh stepped on the quarterback's left leg twice while the quarterback was on the ground.

Suh was looking up the field as he stepped back on to Rodgers. The league suspended Suh on Monday for Detroit's wild-card game at Dallas this weekend, citing a violation of safety-related playing rules.

Rodgers said he was awaiting the outcome of any appeal by Suh to the league.

''But the only thing I can say, if you step on something in your everyday life, or if you step on somebody on the field, the first reaction seems to be looking back and maybe apologizing with your hands, or pulling your foot back right away,'' Rodgers said, ''and I'm just not sure that's what happened on Sunday.''

---

Online:

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL