Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings: 5 matchups to watch
1. Aaron Rodgers vs Mike McCarthy
This dynamic has been broken for a long time, and it finally boiled over this season. Rodgers has voiced and shown his frustrations far more than we have ever seen in his career. On the other side, McCarthy has been very cautious with his play-calling, and he has also looked extremely unsure of himself at times this year. McCarthy and Rodgers lit the NFL on fire at the beginning of this decade, but their flame burned out as quick as it was lit.
Whether it was the knee injury or lingering effects from last year’s collarbone injury, Rodgers has not looked like himself this year. He has put up good numbers this year, but they have been mostly hollow stats. Despite putting up over 300 yards passing against the Seahawks, he missed several easy throws that would have given the team several additional points. Rodgers needs to dial back in this week to give this team the chance to win.
Next. Mike Daniels' status unclear for rest of season. dark
McCarthy has shown the ability to shred defenses up with his play-calling at times, but it’s not as consistent as it used to be. He also appears to question himself in obvious situations, such as the Packers choosing to punt on 4th & 2 late in the game last week. He makes all of the play calls, and, if he and Rodgers are not on the same page this week, he will be coaching the end of his tenure with the Packers.