Packers’ Aaron Rodgers has another gear for second half of season
Green Bay Packers’ MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers shares a common trait with just about every great across the sports landscape: He plays best when he has a chip on his shoulder.
There’s no better example of this than the 2020 season. Green Bay drafted Rodgers’ assumed long-term replacement in Jordan Love by moving up in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft to grab him. That came on the heels of a second-straight NFC championship game loss and the Packers desperately needing a talent upgrade to take the next step.
Rodgers wasn’t happy with that decision and didn’t really hide his feelings either. However, he was a good teammate and treated Love with the respect he didn’t receive when he was in the same situation all those years ago with Brett Favre.
Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers has another gear he can get to over the second half of the regular season.
Instead of taking his anger out on Love, Rodgers took it out on opposing defenses last year. He won the MVP award by methodically dismantling defenses to the tune of a 70.7 percent completion percentage (a career-high), 4299 passing yards and 48 touchdown passes (also, a career-high).
Rodgers hasn’t been able to carry that same success over to this season where he’s faced a lot more challenges. Through eight games, he’s completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1894 yards and 17 touchdowns. Those are still solid numbers, but nowhere near his best.
He’s coming off a covid debacle that has somewhat soured his reputation with fans. He’s feeling the heat and has failed to back down from his stance of not being open with the public about his vaccination status. He was also fined by the NFL for not following covid protocols for someone who is unvaccinated.
Rodgers is set to return on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks and don’t be surprised if we see him take his anger out on opposing defenses once again.
The Packers have a dynamic rushing attack that keeps defenses honest and forces them to respect the rush. That should allow Rodgers to find plenty of connections with Davante Adams and whatever other wide receivers who want to step up (p.s. Getting Marquez Valdes-Scantling back will be huge).
Next. Packers' positional grades at halfway point. dark
At 7-2, Green Bay lost a very winnable game last Sunday when Rodgers was out due to covid. They’re still vying for the top seed and only first-round playoff bye in the NFC and will need Rodgers to play his best down the stretch. Be prepared for the reigning MVP to go into full Superman mode and dominate the second half of the season.