When Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a shoulder injury back in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, one that got him a stint on the injured reserve list, the Packers were left to rely on the arm of backup Brett Hundley. The consensus is that had the Packers not lost Rodgers for eight weeks, Green Bay would be preparing for the NFL playoffs now instead of getting an early vacation.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, however, would rather highlight Hundley’s improvement than the quarterback’s shortcomings, per Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“I think there’s a lot of good things Brett did. There’s definitely things that have been highlighted and probably blown out of proportion that didn’t go right. I’ll say this: From the time he stepped in the game in Minnesota to the time he walked off the field in Detroit, he made significant improvement.

“Brett and I talked about this, this week. I felt that he should’ve been better prepared for the situation that was he was put into, but once he got the opportunity, I thought he did a heck of a job.”

During that eight-week stretch that Rodgers missed, the Packers went 3-4 with Hundley as the starter. In total, the Packers were 3-6 with the former UCLA Bruin signal-caller starting for them.

Hundley concluded this season with 1,836 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and 12 interceptions on 60.8 completion percentage. He also rushed for 270 yards and two scores on 36 carries.

Hundley, who was taken by Green Bay in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, has one more year left on his rookie contract, but that does not guarantee him a roster spot for the Packers in the 2018 season.