Aaron Rodgers has long been known as one of the game’s great signal callers, a master of the quarterback arts, rivaled by nobody in terms of physical skill and talent level. He’s shattered numerous NFL and Green Bay Packers records from his journey that began in the shadow of Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and has established himself as an all-time great as the seasons have gone on. This begs the question — of all Rodgers’ incredible, electrifying performances, which five stand out as the best of the best?
The Five Best Aaron Rodgers Games for the Green Bay Packers
5. 2014 Week 10 vs. Chicago Bears
After a disappointing 1-2 start to the 2014 season, Aaron Rodgers assured Packers fans to “R-E-L-A-X” and the Packers then won four of their next five. The Bears, on the other hand, limped into this Sunday Night matchup at 3-5 with several question marks in several areas of the team, including at quarterback. Unfortunately for the Bears, things were about to get a whole lot worse than they could possibly imagine.
The rout was on before the game even started, as the Packers would score touchdowns on five straight drives to open the game. A fumble on the sixth would prevent a sixth straight scoring drive, but the Packers would soon make it 42-0 at halftime on Rodgers’s sixth touchdown pass of the game with 1:02 left in the first half. Rodgers would end up being pulled midway through the third with the Packers up big, but not before he completed 18 of 27 passes for 315 yards and six touchdowns, with all six touchdowns coming in the first half.
4. 2016 NFC Wild Card vs. New York Giants
At number four on the list, we’ve got a game from the “Run The Table” season of 2016-17. The Packers started the season poorly, and after suffering a loss to the Washington Redskins that dropped them to 4-6, Rodgers made his famous “Run The Table” remark that eventually led to six straight wins and a meeting with the New York Giants at Lambeau Field in an NFC Wild Card matchup. The Giants had finished the season 11-5 and boasted one of the best secondaries in the NFL, led by safety Landon Collins and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The two combined for 11 of the Giants’ 17 interceptions on the season and fronted a Giants defense that ranked 2nd in the NFL in points allowed.
The game started off slowly for Rodgers and company as they were unable to put any points on the board until the 2:32 mark of the second half when Rodgers found Davante Adams for his first touchdown of the game. A Giants punt less than a minute later gave the Packers the ball back with 1:46 left, and with just six seconds to go in the half and the ball at the Giants 42, Rodgers uncorked a towering Hail Mary that was caught in the back of the end zone by Randall Cobb for the touchdown and a 14-6 halftime lead.
Rodgers Catches The Hot Hand In The Second Half
It didn’t just end there for Green Bay, though. In the second half, after starting with two empty drives, the Packers scored on their next four possessions and never looked back, taking a commanding 38-13 lead late in the fourth quarter. 38-13 would ultimately end up being the final score, and Rodgers would finish the day 25 of 40 for 362 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions and a passer rating of 125.2. The victory would send the Packers to Dallas to take on the top-seeded Cowboys, a game the Packers would win on a walk-off field goal by Mason Crosby to send them to the NFC Championship.
3. 2009 NFC Wild Card at Arizona Cardinals
The 2009 season was a coming-out party for Rodgers, as he led the Packers to an 11-5 record and the fifth seed in the NFC. His first playoff game would be against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, and boy, what a game it was. It didn’t start out as a game to remember for the Packers and Rodgers, as Rodgers threw an interception on his first throw of the game and the Packers fell behind 17-0 at the start of the second quarter, a deficit that grew to 31-10 with 11:15 left in the third quarter.
Rodgers was not flustered, as he led the Packers back with five straight scoring drives in the second half. Kurt Warner and the Cardinals, however, would not stop scoring, and with 4:45 to play, the Packers found themselves trailing 45-38. Rodgers decisively led Green Bay down the field and found Spencer Havner for an 11-yard touchdown to tie the game. The Cardinals would drive into field goal range on the ensuing possession, but Neil Rackers missed a 34-yard field goal as time expired and the game went to overtime.
Unfortunately for Rodgers and the Packers, the comeback dream ended in overtime as Rodgers was strip-sacked by Karlos Dansby and the fumble was returned for a touchdown, giving the Cardinals a 51-45 overtime win in the highest scoring NFL playoff game of all-time. Rodgers would finish 28 of 42 for 423 yards and four touchdowns with one interception and a passer rating of 121.4. Though it didn’t result in a win, the fact that this was the first time Rodgers had ever thrown for 400 yards and that it occurred in a playoff game that also involved a 21-point comeback for the Packers puts it at number three on this list.
2. Super Bowl XLV vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers and Packers are arguably the NFL’s two most storied franchises, and in the 2010 season, they met on the biggest stage for Super Bowl XLV. Rodgers and the Packers had squeaked into the playoffs as the NFC’s sixth seed but won three straight road games to make it all the way to the big game. The Steelers finished as the AFC’s number two seed, as they went 12-4 and won the AFC North. The Steelers boasted one of the NFL’s best defenses, as they ranked first in points allowed and second in yards allowed during the 2010 season.
Rodgers got the Packers going in the first quarter, hitting Jordy Nelson for a 29-yard touchdown with 3:51 left in the first, and a pick six by Packers safety Nick Collins on the ensuing Steelers possession gave the Packers a quick 14-0 lead. That lead would extend to 21-3 at halftime as Rodgers found Greg Jennings for a 21-yard touchdown with 2:31 left in the first half. Pittsburgh would come roaring back, as they drew within 21-17 and eventually 28-25 with 7:40 left in the game.
On a third and 10 with 5:59 to play, Rodgers made one of the best throws of his career as he found Greg Jennings over the middle for 31 yards, putting it just out of the reach of cornerback Ike Taylor and keeping the drive alive. The Packers would get a field goal out of the drive, and Green Bay would stop Pittsburgh on downs on the next possession, giving Green Bay their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history and 13th championship overall. Rodgers would earn MVP honors, as he completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions.
1. 2010 NFC Divisional at Atlanta Falcons
Rodgers’ lone Super Bowl win would not have been possible without the number one game on this list, a divisional round matchup with the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons. The Packers had sneaked into the postseason after winning the final two games of the season, while the Falcons, led by Pro Bowler Matt Ryan, cruised through the regular season with a 13-3 record. Little did anyone know that Rodgers would be the better of the two young signal callers that day.
The game started off well for the Falcons, as Ryan led a touchdown drive on the second Falcons possession of the game. Rodgers countered with a touchdown drive of his own, only for Falcons return man Eric Weems to return the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to put the Falcons up 14-7. From then on, it was all Green Bay as the Packers scored on four straight drives, not including a pick-six by Tramon Williams off of an ill-advised Ryan pass to end the half. When the smoke cleared, the Packers had thoroughly dominated the NFC’s number one seed to the tune of 48-21, and Rodgers was absolutely masterful, completing 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 136.8.
Of all the must-win games of the 2010 season for the Packers, this one was by far the most unexpected, and a large part of that had to do with Rodgers. While Rodgers has had games with more touchdowns and games with more yards, never was he at his most efficient than in this game, as his 86 percent completion percentage on 36 passes was mind-boggling. Coming in a game with as much at stake as this one, there’s no doubt it deserves the number one spot.
