The Green Bay Packers are back on the mountaintop. After a brief two-year hiatus, they reclaimed the crown of the NFC North with a decisive win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. They've secured themselves the second seed in the playoffs and would seem to be a credible threat to reach the Super Bowl. It would be the culmination of years of frustration after near misses in 2014 and 2016. However, there is an undercurrent of concern. This in regards to their all-world quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
On the surface, the 36-year old quarterback has played well in 2019. He has over 3,600 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and three interceptions. Those are along the lines of his usual standard. Except there have been warning signs, especially in the past couple of months that this isn't the Rodgers we once knew. Through the first eight games of the year, he was outstanding with 2,324 yards, 16 touchdowns, and two interceptions. Good for a 104.7 passer rating.
Since then there has been a noticeable dip in his effectiveness. Over the last seven games, he has just 1,355 yards, eight touchdowns, and an interception. His passer rating has fallen to 87.1. This despite having one of the best pass-blocking offensive lines in the NFL. What's most concerning is how outmatched he's looked against good pass defenses. The Chargers, 49ers, and Bears held him to a highly pedestrian 79.97 passer rating.
That is not the Rodgers we once knew.
Aaron Rodgers is following a similar path to Favre
It's amazing. Rodgers is widely known as the heir to the throne that Brett Favre built so many years ago. The two couldn't be more different both in their temperaments and playing styles. Yet if one follows their careers, the similarities are striking. Both had amazing early successes with MVP awards and a Super Bowl victory. As they approached their mid-to-late 30s though, they each have gone from "elite" guys to simply good ones. Green Bay continued to win but they never seemed able to break through in the postseason.
From age 32 to 38, Favre made the playoffs five times but only reached the NFC championship once. So far from age 32 to present, Rodgers has made the playoffs three times with one NFC championship appearance. It's hard not to hear that clock ticking louder and louder as the conclusion of another season nears. Green Bay only has so many more opportunities like this and it has to make them nervous that Rodgers isn't exactly playing his best football anymore.
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