Could the Green Bay Packers’ Offense Operate Without Aaron Rodgers?

Similar System QBs

So, now let’s look at what other quarterbacks have done in similar offenses, namely Jared Goff and Jimmy Garoppolo with the Rams and 49ers, respectively. Both of them are mediocre quarterbacks, so if they can succeed in these schemes, Love should be able to adjust easier. We’ll look at Goff’s numbers from this season and Garoppolo’s from 2019 since he was hurt for most of the 2020 season.

Goff’s passing grid is fairly uninspiring across the board. He’s above average in the middle of the field on short and intermediate throws but didn’t do much else extremely well. When throwing deep on the left, his passer rating was an impressive 110.1, but in the middle and right sections, it was an abysmal 39.6 and 24.1. Even so, he nearly threw for 4000 yards, and the Rams made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Garoppolo’s 2019 season was statistically similar to Goff’s with a few more touchdowns, but completion percentage and yards were comparable. Jimmy G was much better on deep balls, however, being above average in every deep section, with a perfect 158.3 rating on throws deep down the middle. His intermediate throws were his downfall, though, with none of them being well above average and his rating on those throws to the right side being an ugly 49.1. That season, he was statistically a slightly above-average quarterback, but he was helped along by arguably the best running game in the league and couldn’t get it done with his arm in the Super Bowl.

Both of these guys were able to have seasons that got their teams to the playoffs and won playoff games despite the fact that neither of them is extremely talented under center. It’s also important to note that they were both in the bottom four in average intended air yards in their respective seasons, so they really didn’t take many chances down the field, showing you can have success with this offense by just taking the short throws that the defense gives you.