Well, at least it’s not a broken bone.

Aaron Rodgers’ hamstring will be the subject of breathless hours and hundreds of words over the next two weeks, but it was encouraging that the Green Bay Packers quarterback was able to finish Sunday night’s game in New Orleans after tweaking it (as opposed to the pulls that have knocked Clay Matthews and Casey Hayward out of action).

That’s the "good" news.

But little else was good about the 44-23 loss to the Saints, a game the Packers should’ve been in control of and – even with Rodgers’ muscle strain – could’ve won easily.

Perhaps it was coincidental that two plays after Rodgers was hurt he threw his first interception since week one, a ball off the hands of tight end Andrew Quarless. The turnover in the red zone led to a Saints score that broke a 16-16 tie.

Perhaps it was coincidence, too, that on the ensuing Packers possession head coach Mike McCarthy decided to run Eddie Lacy behind reserve guard Lane Taylor (in for the injured T.J. Lang) on fourth down at his own 41-yard line only to see the big back brought down short of the first down marker.

But it assuredly wasn’t coincidence that, on a short field, Saints quarterback Drew Brees found tight end Jimmy Graham in the end zone to make it 30-16, signaling that the rout was on.

Down two scores in the fourth quarter, on the road, with an injured quarterback, are not ideal conditions for a comeback – but not impossible. Until another Rodgers’ pass deflected off the hands of a receiver (this time it was Davante Adams) and into the waiting arms of a Saints defender. New Orleans, of course, scored again.

In a little over a quarter, the Packers went from being on the doorstep of taking a touchdown lead to being behind by three touchdowns.

Perhaps McCarthy knew such a thing could happen against an average Saints team, but an above-average offense when it’s on the turf under the dome.

The Packers head coach was in an interesting state of mind Sunday night. He gambled on fourth downs. He trotted out linebacker Julius Peppers as a wide receiver. He went for a surprise onside kick.

On one hand, you could say McCarthy knew his defense – playing without starting corner Sam Shields and starting safety Morgan Burnett – would be a sieve, so he was trying to steal an extra possession.

He might say he felt his defense could keep the Saints out of the end zone on a short field, which they did for the most part in the first half (New Orleans was held to three first half field goals).

What he didn’t count on, for sure, was his offense’s inability to capitalize in the red zone. After the teams traded quick touchdowns to open the game, the end result of three trips inside the New Orleans 20 were two Mason Crosby field goals and the interception intended for Quarless.

Place two touchdowns, as I’m sure the Packers expected, into three of those possessions and we’re talking about a different game and likely a 6-2 Packers team heading into the bye.

The defense, which was the league’s worst against the run but was managing to create turnovers, was exposed as Saints running back Mark Ingram rushed 24 times for 172 yards. He ran wherever, for whatever, whenever he touched the ball.

Brees was brilliant (27 for 32, 311 yards, 3 TD) but that’s to be expected at home.

Unfortunately the Packers linebacking group couldn’t handle any coverage in their area, and couldn’t get to Brees on a regular basis. Peppers did come up with a sack in the red zone that forced a field goal, and Clay Matthews had a shoestring sack from behind as Brees tried to extend a play, but you couldn’t point to either as big, tide-turning stops.

Halfway through the season, I’m not sure much can change defensively. This group is going to give up huge chunks of yards and points. The difference Sunday was that, for the first time in a long time with Rodgers under center, the Packers lost the turnover battle and the other team took advantage.

Offensively, despite the red zone problems, the Packers once again proved they can chew up bad defenses. Green Bay put up 491 yards of total offense and averaged 7.8 yards per play.

Eddie Lacy averaged 4.5 yards per carry on just 13 rushes, but as the Packers had to play from behind he would up catching eight passes for an additional 123 yards. Jordy Nelson was covered effectively (five targets, three catches for 25 yards) but Randall Cobb (5 catches, 126 yards, TD), Adams (7 catches, 75 yards) and tight end Richard Rodgers (4 catches, 58 yards) proved more than capable of picking up the slack.

If anything, the fact that Richard Rodgers even had a stat line has to be encouraging.
In the end, the Packers lost a road game to a non-divisional opponent in a tough place to play – which shouldn’t cause too much concern. The injury to Lang (ankle) should, as he ended the game on the sidelines on crutches. Of course Rodgers’ hamstring pull is, too.

Sometimes losses like this can be good for a team that was on a roll. A fifth straight win would have been preferred, of course, but victories sometimes mask deficiencies. This brings many to light going into a two-week period where it can be addressed and corrected.

And fortunately for Green Bay, its next game on Nov. 9 is against a dreadful and dysfunctional Chicago Bears squad. There is time to get healthy (or healthier) and just the right opponent to face coming out of the break.

They fell a game behind the division-leading Detroit Lions, but with three NFC North contests over the final eight weeks – including hosting the Lions at Lambeau Field on Dec. 28 – the Packers control their own destiny in what could be a special season.