Aaron Rodgers raring to return against Carolina Panthers, says Mike McCarthy

Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy has praised the mental toughness of Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback prepares for a possible return from injury against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Rodgers has been on injured reserve since suffering a fractured collarbone in week six of the season, but was cleared to return by medical staff on Tuesday.

The Packers (7-6) will hope that the two-time NFL MVP can give the franchise a boost as they chase an unlikely spot in the post-season play-offs.

The 34-year-old returned to training last week and McCarthy confirmed that Rodgers has been preparing to face the Panthers.

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"He was able to clear each hurdle earlier than the norm," said McCarthy. "His rehab process was very fluid, very clean and it has put him in this position today to get ready for Carolina.

"We're not going to go to Carolina with a bunch of false confidence. We understand the impact Aaron Rodgers makes for our football team.

"He's a great player. He's an impact player. But we're in a position that we're in, we're 7-6, and we clearly understand what's on the line here."

It was initially feared that Rodgers would miss the remainder of the year with the injury, but McCarthy pointed to Rodgers' mental toughness as the key to his speedy return.

"Aaron's super, super competitive," he said. "At the end of the day, he's been around the block a few times. I mean, he's played through injuries time and time again.

"But every injury is different -- this is, obviously, probably the biggest one we've had to deal with. So they laid out the gauntlet of what needed to be done, [and] he ran through it.

"I think it's probably, in my opinion, his greatest asset, his mental toughness. You like to say 'old school,' you refer to how things were probably in the past in this league.

"But this guy could have played mentally in any generation in the National Football League. So, that's a big part of why he's ready today."