When it was all said and done, the Green Bay Packers fell short of the Super Bowl this past season. It was the second time in three years that the team had gotten to the NFC title game only to come up empty. In 2014, there was an epic collapse after Mike McCarthy’s team owned a 16-0 lead at Seattle. Back in late January, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan torched Dom Capers’ defense and turned the Cheeseheads into fondue.
Then again, if it wasn’t for an amazing run by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers may have never been in position to reach another Super Bowl.
And the often-criticized but supremely-confident quarterback may still have his best football ahead of him.
As hot as they come
Let’s go back to this season. The Green Bay Packers owned a 4-6 record and Rodgers was getting his share of the blame. That blame came despite the fact that he threw 25 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions in those 10 contests. McCarthy and company would go onto run the table and finish 10-6. The 11-year pro totaled 15 scores through the air and wasn’t picked off during the team’s undefeated run.
Seeing Rodgers put up these kind of numbers is hardly a surprise. Dating back to 2011, he has played in a total of 88 regular-season games. The talented hurler has served up 210 TD passes compared to only 40 interceptions.
Rodgers has thrown for at least three scores in almost half (39) of those 88 outings. Yes, he missed seven games in 2013 due to injury. But it’s also worth noting that he hasn’t thrown at least 10 picks in a season since 2010. That year he served up 11 interceptions (28 scores) in 15 games. And the Packers went on to win Super Bowl XLV.
Super Bowl return?
Speaking of the Big Game, the Green Bay Packers haven’t been there since beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Arlington at the start of the decade. Along with the New England Patriots, this is an organization that has been to the playoffs each of the last eight years. Over that span (since 2009), the Pats have played on Super Sunday three times and taken home two titles.
The Pack hasn’t been able to get back. Yes, Aaron Rodgers remains at the top of his game with no signs of slowing down. But these days, he also doesn’t have the support of a reliable running game (unless Ty Montgomery comes through in 2017). And the defense has more holes than Swiss cheese. Hence, Rodgers may continue to rack up gaudy numbers without adding a second Super Bowl title on his resume.
