For the past few weeks, the MVP race in the NFL has been between two players: Russell Wilson and Christian McCaffery. McCaffery has single-handedly kept the Carolina Panthers in playoff contention in the first seven weeks and Wilson has only thrown one interception all year while leading the Seattle Seahawks to a record of 5-2. But, on Sunday, a quarterback had a game for the ages and had a perfect quarterback passer rating; enter Aaron Rodgers.
The MVP Race: Here Comes Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers and Fresh Minds
Rodgers was given a brand new coach to start the season. Mike McCarthy was gone, and a new era of Green Bay Packers football was being introduced. Along with that, a brand new Aaron Rodgers was being introduced. More like a fresh Aaron Rodgers. New head coach Matt LaFleur overhauled the staff aside from defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine. Along with LaFleur came a fresh offense for Rodgers. And it is extremely clear Rodgers is loving it. The run game exists. The passing game isn’t just about running simple routes and then trying to outrun your defender anymore. It’s heavy on play-action and LaFleur has Rodgers making the smart throws. And to top it off, the new front office has built a formidable defense to support Rodgers.
The Perfect Sunday
Last Sunday, Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur finally figured it out. And that should terrify the rest of the NFL. Rodgers threw for 429 yards and 5 touchdowns while running one in himself. He completed 25 of his 31 throws and spread the ball around to all of his receivers. He had a perfect passer rating of 158.3. All without his top receiver, Davante Adams.
The old Aaron Rodgers from the past two years would constantly be scrambling, throwing the ball out of bounds on blown routes, and just not looking happy at all with Mike McCarthy. That’s no longer the case.
Have you noticed that this year, Rodgers is smiling more? When the tv cuts to a commercial break and they slow-motion zoom in on Rodgers, he’s smiling. Why? Because he isn’t having to play hero ball anymore. He doesn’t feel the need to go out every Sunday and throw for 500 yards and three or four touchdowns to win the game. He knows his defense can actually compete this year and stop teams.
Aaron Rodgers is no longer, single-handedly, having to outscore opponents. But last Sunday was special. Rodgers threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the NFL that he is back in MVP form and has an offense that has brilliant schemes and a defense that will not let you score in the redzone. The Green Bay Packers rank in the top 10 in redzone offense and the top 10 in redzone defense.
Why Rodgers Will Be MVP
Aaron Rodgers has officially sat down at the MVP table for this year. Here is why I think he will win it. For starters, he is 6-1 with a brand new coach. That is extremely hard to do nowadays in the NFL. Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray are 3-3. Pat Shurmur and Daniel Jones are 1-3. Bruce Arians and Jameis Winston are 2-4. New coaches and new quarterbacks don’t always work. It is hard to find the right fit. The Packers found it.
Second reason, Aaron Rodgers is somebody who the rest of America will stay up to watch or will get up early to watch. The Packers sit directly in the middle of the country and have the most entertaining quarterback in the league. Nobody outside of the Carolinas gets up to watch the Panthers and Christian McCaffery play. They just don’t. The Panthers can seem boring.
And with Russell Wilson, he’s on the West Coast. East Coast viewers are less inclined to watch West Coast teams because they aren’t significant to them. Finally, and the most obvious reason, last Sunday the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers became fun and extremely relevant again. They are Super Bowl contenders and in my opinion, are one of two teams in the NFC that can challenge the New England Patriots for the title this year, the other team being the San Francisco 49ers.
Back In The Spotlight
Aaron Rodgers put himself and the Green Bay Packers back in the national spotlight last week. You can’t ignore him anymore. He’s overcome two years of injuries and losing seasons. Rodgers is hungry for another championship. And his MVP-like play may just put Green Bay back on top come early February.
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