GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Aaron Rodgers functioned just fine after he strained his right calf muscle early in last Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks, and the Green Bay Packers' ailing quarterback expects he'll do the same this Sunday in Chicago against the Bears.

But he also knows he'll do it with some discomfort.

"It'll be about pain management on Sunday, but the good thing is I'll be out there," Rodgers said. "I'll be out there and ready."

Rodgers did not practice on Wednesday, marking the first time this season he's been held out of an entire practice. The previous two weeks, he had been limited but still took some reps each day despite a left hamstring injury that dates to the Nov. 28 game at Philadelphia. This time, he was a full DNP on the injury report.

"I've dealt with a lot of injuries over the years, and you just learn about pain management and how to keep yourself in the best shape to play on Sunday, and then playing with pain," Rodgers said. "Obviously, I hurt it on the third play of the game and had to gut it out through some very difficult pain speaking to me at times and obviously slowing me down with some of the stuff I'm good at moving in the pocket or outside the pocket."

Rodgers strained the calf muscle on his other leg late in the 2014 season but did not miss any starts then, either. Coach Mike McCarthy said earlier on Wednesday that Rodgers told him not to hold anything out of this week's game plan.

But that doesn't mean Rodgers will be able to handle all the movement that he normally would on scrambles and designed roll-out plays. "I'm very optimistic by nature," Rodgers said. "So we can always take things out. It's harder to add things back in. So get everything in, and if there's anything we've got to take out on Sunday, we'll do that."

McCarthy said Rodgers may not practice on Thursday, either, and given that the team doesn't practice on Fridays during a normal week, the only other chance Rodgers would get to be on the field before kickoff would come during Saturday's short practice.

"It gives you more time to watch film, because you're in there doing rehab on your lower extremities," Rodgers said. "Last week with the hamstring and this week with the calf, you get a little more extra time on the film. So you use your time as wisely as possible, but I'm here a lot anyway."