We have entered the holiday season. With it, the Green Bay Packers have a lot to be grateful for this holiday season. In fact, they have a lot of reasons to be grateful this holiday season. The first is that they currently sit on the NFC North with a 9-3 record. Of course, they have some of the best fans in the NFL. You can’t leave out head coach Matt LaFleur, one of the best young coaches in the NFL. Finally, they have one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the position. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the helm, he makes the Green Bay Packers offense one of the most dangerous in the NFL.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Continues To be One of the Best Passers in the NFL
This season, Aaron Rodgers has had some very uncharacteristic bumps in the road. Starting with the whole “will he or won’t he show up this training camp” issue. Aaron Rodgers then followed it up by contracting COVID. Contracting COVID wasn’t the issue, but the whole “I am immunized” put an unwanted spotlight on him and the Packers. Finally, it was the fractured toe he suffered while quarantining with COVID.
Even with all of the bumps, Aaron Rodgers has still been the leader of the Green Bay Packers offense. In fact, he is still the leader and face of the Packers franchise. With the Packers about to start the stretch run to the playoffs, the Packers best chance of making it to the Super Bowl falls on Rodgers shoulders.
The Future Can Wait
The turmoil brought about by Rodgers during this training camp led many to question the future of the Packers with Rodgers at the helm. In fact, it led many fans, and even people who cover Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, to question if he was the right man for the job. Many were ready to turn the page on Aaron Rodgers and let the Jordan Love begin.
Luckily for Packers fans, the Packers organization didn’t feel the same. That is another reason Packers fans should be grateful this season. The fact that general manager Brian Gutekunst and president Mark Murphy don’t allow the fans to make decisions for this team.
Packers fans got a small glimpse into what they might be seeing when the Love era truly begins. With Aaron Rodgers out with COVID, Jordan Love started his first NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the 13-7 loss, Love went 19 of 34 for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His performance was pretty underwhelming. While it doesn’t mean that Love won’t become a solid NFL quarterback, something did come from it: that Love isn’t ready to lead the Green Bay Packers offense yet.
Fans might not agree with Rodgers’ behavior during training camp, or even his lifestyle choices when it comes to COVID. But they all should agree that with Rodgers leading the current Green Bay Packers offense, it gives their franchise the best chance to win football games.
A Possible Run at Another MVP Trophy
Last season, Aaron Rodgers had one of his best seasons as an NFL quarterback. He threw for close to 4,300 yards, 48 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He also led the Packers to a home NFC Championship game appearance. All of what he did led him to his third NFL MVP award.
So far this season, Rodgers is once again performing like a quarterback who can make another run to be the NFL’s MVP. In 11 starts this season, he has thrown for 2,878 yards with 23 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. The now 38-year-old quarterback has also rushed for three touchdowns.
By no means is Rodgers, like was the case in 2020, a lock to be the NFL MVP. However, his numbers do put him in the running to win his fourth MVP. Along with that, he is the driving force on why the Packers have been so successful this season.
Rodgers will need some help. Not only to win the NFL MVP but to also lead the Packers to a possible Super Bowl berth. He will need to stay healthy, which will be difficult playing with a fractured toe. Rodgers will also need for the rest of the Green Bay Packers offense to stay healthy as well. That means having star wide receiver Davante Adams as well as running backs, Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, to stay healthy as well.
He will also need the same from his offensive line. The Green Bay Packers offense has already lost star offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins to a season-ending injury. The Packers offensive line has overcome a lot of injuries, but they are starting to run out of backups to insert. If left tackle David Bakhtiari can return from his knee injury, it would help Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay Packers offense.
Aaron Rodgers Gives the Packers the Best Chance to Reach the Super Bowl
Throughout Aaron Rodgers’ career, he has given the Packers the best chance to not only reach the Super Bowl but also win it. The Packers defense, under first-year coordinator Joe Barry, has improved. Their improvement gives Rodgers and the Packers an even better chance. But when it’s all said it done, it still comes down to Rodgers and how he performs.
In the past 14 seasons as the Packers starting quarterback, Rodgers has given Packers fans a lot to be grateful for. While he might have lost fans of him personally, there is no reason those fans shouldn’t still be grateful for him as their starting quarterback. Most people don’t like getting the same Christmas gift every Christmas. But when it comes to Rodgers as the Packers starting quarterback, he is the gift that keeps on giving.
[pickup_prop id=”16566″]
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
