Aaron Rodgers ‘in a lot of pain’ with toe, hoping to heal over Green Bay Packers’ bye after next week

MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Rodgers’ ailing toe was so problematic in Sunday’s last-second loss to the Minnesota Vikings that the Green Bay Packers quarterback actually left the field before the first half was over to head into the locker room.

Rodgers likely thought the Packers were not going to get the ball back, but when they did, Jordan Love took the final snap — a kneel-down — before halftime.

Rodgers still would not get into any more details about his toe, which apparently became an issue during his COVID-19 quarantine earlier this month, saying only that it’s “a little worse than turf toe.” And he doesn’t think it’s going to get any better without a week off. The Packers (8-3) have one more game, a key NFC matchup next Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams (7-3), before they finally get their bye in Week 13.

“I’m just going to have to get to the bye and hope I can get some healing over the bye week,” Rodgers said. “Probably the same schedule next week. Was in a lot of pain. Went in at halftime early to get it checked out. It’s very, very painful. Got stepped on the first half, and that kind of activated all the symptoms I was having. It’s going to be another painful week and next week, and then hopefully start to feel a little better on the bye.”

That likely means he won’t practice much — if at all — in advance of the Rams game. Last week, his only time on the practice field came Friday in limited work, which could explain his slow start to Sunday’s game.

Still, he managed a 385-yard, four-touchdown game, including a game-tying 75-yarder to Marquez Valdes-Scantling with 2:08 left in the game. And whatever treatment Rodgers got at halftime must have worked. He led touchdown drives on all three of the Packers’ second-half possessions, including a pair to Davante Adams (seven catches for 115 yards). It was the start of the game that doomed them. Their first four drives finished field goal, punt, missed field goal, punt.

“I thought in the second half we finally started…