The Sports Xchange

GREEN BAY — A full three weeks.

That’s how much time will have passed when quarterback Aaron Rodgers takes his next snap from center Corey Linsley, let alone throws his next pass, in a game.

Despite the unusually wide gap between playing time after Rodgers was conspicuously inactive for the Green Bay Packers’ final two preseason games, the Packers’ irreplaceable leader at quarterback has no doubt about his readiness for the start of the season.

“We’re right where we need to be,” Rodgers said late in training camp.

As the Packers begin a season that still has them among the favorites in the NFC when they make the short trek south to play the archrival Chicago Bears on Sunday, much has changed since Rodgers last played.

His final play in his abbreviated eighth preseason as a starter for Green Bay resulted in a safety when he was ambushed by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison in the end zone on Aug. 23.

One Packers series earlier in that one and only quarter Rodgers played, top wideout Jordy Nelson walked off the Heinz Field turf with what turned out to be a season-ending torn ACL.

“Jordy, in general, did so many incredible things,” Rodgers said. “It’s definitely a big loss for us.”

There’s no overstating how big of a void Nelson’s absence creates for Green Bay’s offense with an entire season to play. His seventh NFL year last season featured career highs for catches (98) and receiving yards (1,519), along with 13 touchdown receptions and a first trip to the Pro Bowl.

“You can’t just replace him with one guy,” Rodgers said. “You’ve got to get other guys to pick up the slack. It’s going to be tough.”

And, just when the Packers figured they would still have ample depth at receiver to compensate for the loss of Nelson to some degree, fellow playmaking starter Randall Cobb sustained a significant shoulder injury.

The setback occurred in the opening minutes of Green Bay’s third of four preseason games on Aug. 29, when the likes of Rodgers, Nelson, Cobb, halfback Eddie Lacy and other prominent starters have been accustomed to playing past halftime.

Instead, no doubt in response to Nelson’s injury, head coach Mike McCarthy did an about-face and kept a slew of starters off the field those last two exhibition games.

While Nelson waits to have surgery on his right knee, there’s no telling just how ready Green Bay is to begin anew.

McCarthy’s mantra since the spring has been for his team to get off to a fast start after it’s notoriously struggled out of the gate the last three seasons.

The Packers have lost their last three season openers and started 1-2 each of those seasons before turning things on to extend their NFC North title reign to four years.

Rodgers, whose preseason playing time this year consisted of only 45 official snaps with five series in two quarters, isn’t flinching — even faced with the reality of playing without the reliable Nelson for the long term and possibly Cobb in the short term.

Cobb hopes to play Sunday, but his availability won’t be known until later in the week with the Packers off the field until Wednesday after playing their final preseason game six days earlier.

Also of concern is the state of Green Bay’s offensive line, which stayed intact coming off a durable and productive season together last season, but became fractured with a spate of injuries in the preseason.

Left tackle David Bakhtiari missed the last three games because of a knee issue.

Pro Bowl left guard Josh Sitton (ankle) and right guard T.J. Lang (concussion) were held out of the last two games.

Right tackle Bryan Bulaga went out of the penultimate game with a sprained ankle and didn’t play last week, leaving Linsley as the only starting lineman to make a cameo appearance against the New Orleans Saints.

“I don’t know what the season is going to hold for us or who’s going to step up and be a contributor that we didn’t think was at the beginning of the season, but I’m excited about our guys,” Rodgers said.

“I think everything is still right in front of us if we just trust the process and keep our heads down.”

The unknown variables also extend to Green Bay’s traditionally enigmatic defense.

Longtime coordinator Dom Capers had to replace only one starter — cornerback Tramon Williams, who left in free agency — from his lineup at the end of last season.

Yet, like the preferred starters on offense, the Packers didn’t get much valuable action from their first-string defense as an entire unit during the preseason.

All-star Clay Matthews, who is expected to play as much inside linebacker as he does at his natural spot on the outside this season, missed the first two games because of knee and elbow discomfort.

What’s more, the Packers are down two defensive linemen starting this week because of NFL suspensions tied to violations of its substance-abuse policy.

Incumbent starting tackle Letroy Guion must sit out the first three games, and end Datone Jones, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2013, can’t play the opener.

Both players are allowed during their suspensions to remain with the team for meetings and individual workouts.

“Oh, it’s not going to be tough,” Guion said after playing Thursday. “I’m going to be here, right here, working out in the facility (at Lambeau Field), keeping focused, getting my mind right, ready to come back for 13 games.”

As for McCarthy, he’s hoping for the best with the short-handed team that plays the Bears on Sunday before the Packers host the reigning NFC champion Seattle Seahawks and then the Kansas City Chiefs in prime-time games in weeks 2 and 3.

“The starting defense, well, we really haven’t played them all together, but we’ll be ready,” McCarthy said.

“To quote (mentor and former NFL head coach) Marty Schottenheimer, he always felt it took two or three games to really establish your team identity. You know what you want to be and how you train the team what you want it to look like, but the reality of it is until you start playing the real games is when it shows up.”

–To no one’s surprise, the final round of cuts for the Packers on Saturday didn’t yield any big roster shakeups.

General manager Ted Thompson pared the roster from 75 to the mandated 53 for the start of the season this week by essentially releasing 20 players and moving defensive linemen Letroy Guion and Datone Jones to the league’s reserve/suspended list.

Of the players who were cut, the undrafted rookie duo of wide receiver Larry Pinkard and linebacker Jermauria Rasco were waived/injured guards. Both played in the Packers’ 38-10 win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday to end the preseason but left the game with significant shoulder injuries.

Among the players given their outright release, notables included receiver Jared Abbrederis, running backs Raijon Neal and John Crockett, linebacker Carl Bradford and defensive linemen Khyri Thornton and Christian Ringo.

Abbrederis, Bradford and Thornton never played one down in an official NFL game in their abbreviated time with Green Bay after breaking in as 2014 draft picks.

Thornton, a third-round selection, and Abbrederis, a fifth-round choice, sustained season-ending hamstring and knee injuries in the preseason last year.

Abbrederis also missed most of the preseason this year with a concussion before he was cleared to play the final game against the Saints.

–Quarterback Brett Hundley, the fifth-round draft pick. has no problem turning the reins of the offense back to Aaron Rodgers as the regular season gets under way.

Hundley enjoyed quite a run with extended playing time in the final two games, including an unexpected start in the second-to-last outing Aug. 29 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rodgers, the reigning NFL MVP, was held out of those last two games, while top backup Scott Tolzien missed the Eagles game as he completed his recovery from a concussion.

“It’s a blessing to me to be able to have this success but also know that I still have time to learn from the best quarterback in the game, Aaron Rodgers,” Hundley said.

“So, I’m blessed to be in this position, and I’m going to have to make the most of it.”

Hundley followed up a 315-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Eagles by going 16-of-23 passing for 236 yards and four touchdowns against the Saints.

Hundley’s passer rating in his mistake-free final preseason game was a sensational 142.4, as he ran the offense the final three quarters after replacing Tolzien.

Notes: Wide receiver Randall Cobb will have a lot of eyes on him in the coming days as to whether he will be able to play the season opener at the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Cobb has been recovering from a sprained right shoulder he sustained in the Aug. 29 preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Cobb, a first-time Pro Bowl honoree last season, said as recently as last week that he expects to play the first game even if he doesn’t get on the field for practice this week.

Right guard T.J. Lang also will be watched closely this week as the veteran starter looks to get cleared to return to the field for the first time since he suffered a concussion in the preseason game at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 23. Head coach Mike McCarthy has expressed optimism that Lang will be able to play the season opener Sunday at Chicago.

Wide receiver Ty Montgomery was held out of the final preseason game on Thursday, a 38-10 win over the New Orleans Saints, because of a hamstring injury that cropped up early last week. There’s no indication the highly regarded and versatile rookie, who is expected to be the team’s primary kick returner at the start of the season, is in jeopardy of missing the opener Sunday at Chicago. … Strong safety Morgan Burnett didn’t play the last preseason game Thursday because of a calf injury. It’s uncertain whether the veteran starter will need more time on the sideline this week as the team prepares for Sunday’s season opener at Chicago. … Linebacker Sam Barrington didn’t play the preseason finale Thursday after he dropped out of practice two days earlier with an ankle injury. It’s unknown whether Barrington will need to miss any more on-field time this week that could impact the incumbent starter’s availability for the season opener at Chicago on Sunday.