After an absolutely demoralizing performance on Sunday by the Greenbay Packers, many people are questioning whether this is the end of Aaron Rodgers’ time in Green bay. One thing that can be said for this situation is that Aaron Rodgers intended for this to play out in this exact fashion.

 Looking at the entire situation, since 2008, Aaron Rodgers has finished every season for the Packers minus 2 games. His consistency has been commended, but his lack of post-season success since his lone Superbowl victory in 2010 has rubbed many fans the wrong way. Despite his ability to throw the ball wherever and however he wants, he has not had the type of success that a player of his caliber should have. 

Aaron Rodgers fans will say that he has not had any help offensively and that the defenses were not good enough to help him. Aaron Rodgers' critics will say that he has an inability to bring up the team around him and his offseason absence did not help his cause. 

QB Jordan Love has been speculated as the long-term answer for Green Bay after being selected in the 2020 draft. Jordan Love is now in his second season and he still has little experience under his belt. Aaron Rodgers had not played bad enough to lose his job, but that all changed on Sunday. Shortly into the final quarter of the game after throwing a late interception to Saints Cornerback, Paulson Adebo, who was also our Defensive Player of The Week, Rodgers was replaced by Jordan Love. However, Love did not score either but was able to convert the first 3rd down of the day. 

Jordan Love is not Aaron Rodgers. The major problem is that the fans or even the Packers have yet to see Jordan Love take many meaningful reps in his young career. What we do know is that Love was the Packers first selection in 2020 and they obviously believed in his ability to eventually lead the team. In an interview with Inside The Hashes prior to his draft, Love stated that he valued bringing in his new teammates to work on learning the scheme, which is a valuable ability for young play-callers. However, without true developmental help from a disgruntled Aaron Rodgers, the Packers must reel Love in fast in hopes of keeping him mentally focused to take Rodgers’ spot.

Love’s final stat line of the day was 5 completions with 7 attempts and 68 yards. While it is not very impressive, the primary concern for the Packers is how committed Aaron Rodgers is to the long-term future of the team. When Matt LeFleur decided to bench Rodgers in the final quarter, it was stated that the benching was more focused on injury prevention than a consequential move. Late in the game with no hope for a victory is a logical move to make, but could the Packers be itching to see a clean start with second-year passer Jordan Love?

I am not totally sure what Aaron Rodgers expected when he came back into the facility a week before the first game, but it was surely not the move of a quarterback looking to lead a franchise. Aaron Rodgers may have a justifiable reason for being upset with the organization for a lack of offensive help, but regardless, a team cannot rally around a quarterback who is obviously taking himself out of the fold.

If the Green Bay Packers expect to compete this year, they must make a change early in the season because if it happens too late in the season, Matt LeFleur risks losing the entire locker room. Aaron Rodgers has undoubtedly lost the locker room and it will be a waiting game to see how soon Jordan Love is called to take over the team. 

On Monday, September 20th, the Packers take on the Detroit Lions in a divisional battle. With the Lions offense looking very competitive with Jared Goff at the helm, if Rodgers isn’t able to get anything going, it is likely the Packers will begin running Jordan Love more with the first-team offense. 

Writer

-By LeMarkus Bailey

Green Bay, WI: The main Monday Night Football game served as a microcosm of how the 2020 season has gone for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers, as the Cheese heads won got an easy 30-16 win. The Falcons sputtered and struggled to get any sort of momentum going on offense, while their secondary suffered four major injury blows, mainly with their safeties. The Packers, on the other hand, were their usual dominant selves; the man known as A-Rod came out and looked like his 2011 MVP self, Aaron Jones demanded respect in every facet of the game, Robert Tonyan has officially broken out, and the Packers defense essentially neutralized the Falcons’ loaded offense. 

Rodgers is the Quarterback Version of Frank Gore 

            As Jets running back Frank Gore is known as the ageless wonder (drafted by the 49ers in 2005, still playing at age 37), Aaron Rodgers might be vying to take that title. The 36-year-old signal-caller did everything a 36-year-old quarterback isn’t supposed to do; he was spry and fluid in the pocket, got yards with his feet on the rare occasion none of his receivers were open, and that arm; that rocket-powered catapult of an arm that Rodgers has on his right shoulder is still as powerful and sniper-accurate as it’s ever been. Rodgers completed 27/33 passes (82% completion) for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns went to break out 3rd-year tight end Robert Tonyan (6-98-3), who looked like George Kittle, according to the ESPN Broadcasting team (they weren’t wrong). Running back Aaron Jones collected 111 total yards from scrimmage off of 20 touches (15 carries, 5 catches), and scored his fifth total touchdown on the season. If he keeps this pace up, Jones could hit 20+ touchdowns for the second straight season, along with 2,036 total yards from scrimmage.  

            Over on defense, Linebacker Za’Darius Smith demanded the spotlight, and he was not denied. He abused Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews all night, notching three of Green Bay’s four sacks on the night, along with a tackle for loss against Todd Gurley II. Smith’s second sack on the night got the most attention, as afterward, he pulled his jersey up to show the words “Rest In Heaven, Breonna Taylor” printed on his undershirt, in tribute to the Louisville EMT worker that was fatally killed by police in her own home back in March of 2020. 

First was Bill O’Brien. Is Dan Quinn next? 

            Prior to the start of both Monday night games, it was announced that Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was going to control offensive play-calling duties going forward into the season. An hour later, ESPN’s Dan Graziano & Adam Schefter broke the news that O’Brien was fired (go figure). It took four weeks and a miserable 0-4 start for O’Brien to lose his job. Now the question lingers across the league; who’s next? 

            Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is now 24-28 in the regular season since his team blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The man brought in back 2015 to fortify Atlanta’s defense now has the 13thranked defense in total offensive yards allowed, and 31stranked in yards allowed per game. They’ve allowed two back-to-back comeback-from -behind wins to the Cowboys in week 2 (15 point lead) and the Bears in week 3 (16 point lead), the first team in NFL history to do so. The offense has done their best to try and keep pace, with Matt Ryan and Co. averaging 419 total offensive yards per game (fourth in the NFL), but it just hasn’t been enough. 

            And entering Monday night, the Packers defense proved to be the straw that broke Atlanta’s back. Ryan’s stats seem pretty on paper (28/39 [72% completion percentage] for 285 yards), but they’re supplemented by garbage time plays that meant nothing to the game overall. Todd Gurley had an ok outing, getting 16 carries for 57 yards. But in the RedZone, he sparked life to Atlanta’s offense, scoring twice in goal-line situations. Rising star wideout Calvin Ridley was kept on an island against Packers corner Jaire Alexander, registering zero catches on five targets. 

            As for the Falcons D, it was pretty much non-existent. Coming into the contest, Atlanta was without starting safeties Ricardo Allen (Elbow) and Keanu Neal (hamstring). The Falcons came in with four active safeties, and half of them left with an injury; Damontae Kazee and Jaylinn Hawkins (My Pre-draft Interview with Jaylinn Here), both left the game with lower-body injuries and never came back. They gave up 403 total offensive yards to the offense, including nearly 100 receiving yards and three touchdowns to third-year tight end in Robert Tonyan out of Indiana State, who had two career touchdowns in the last 27 games he’s played. 

“As far as an overall grade, it’s non-passing, it’s not above the bar,” Ryan said in his post-game presser. “It’s not where we need to be.” 

What’s next: 

            Green Bay enters their Week 5 bye week at the right time, as it gives Rodgers an extra week to heal up the knee he hyperextended at the end of the game. 

            As for the Falcons, they’re set to host a Panther’s team that’s riding a two-game win streak, having just taken down Kyler Murray’s Arizona Cardinals 21-31 at home. 

-By: Juan Guarin-Camargo

Writer

            New Orleans, LA – They say the third time’s the charm in whatever you put your mind to. In the case of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it’s to beat the New Orleans Saints at the Super Dome for the first time in his career, as Green Bay puts a dagger into a faltering Saints team on Sunday Night Football, winning 37-30. 

Rodgers Revenge Tour  

            During the first two weeks of the season, Aaron Rodgers has played like a man who’s looking to avenge his family, tearing the Vikings and Lions apart in Weeks one and two, respectively, for 604 yards, six touchdowns, and no picks. Against the Saints on Monday night, the trend continued, as A-Rod completed 21/32 (66% completion) for 283 and three touchdowns. Remember, the Packers drafted a quarterback (Jordan Love) in the first round of this year’s draft. The 36-year-old Rodgers showed he’s still pissed about that selection, and he’s taking his anger out on opposing defenses.  

Rodgers played in his trademark style; launching deep passes out of the pocket and finding unheard-of players for huge gains. Missing his top target in wideout Davante Adams to a hamstring injury tonight, second-year wideout Allen Lazard (6-146-1) became ”that guy”, being on the receiving end of a 48 and a 49-yard pass that set up two go-ahead touchdowns for Green Bay.  

Fourth-year halfback Aaron Jones came into the game as the leading rusher in the league, with 234 yards and three touchdowns. He was kept in check by New Orleans’ rushing defense but was still able to put up good production on the ground, rushing for 69 yards and a score.  

            Over on defense, Green Bay was missing nose tackle Kenny Clark to a hip injury, and it showed. On the ground, the Packers gave up 122 yards to the Saints, with half-backs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray both rushing for 58 yards (more on Kamara in a bit). Mike Pettine’s defense did come up big when it mattered, though, with linebacker Za’Darius Smith not only stripping the ball from the Saints’ swiss army-QB that is Taysom Hill, but also recovering it near midfield to set up a lead-taking field goal for Green Bay.  

Drew Brees’ arm isn’t the problem 

Since the Monday Night game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been criticized for his throwing arm missing that signature zip it used to ha have. Against the Packers, Brees played similarly to how he did against the Raiders; dump-off passes to Kamara and throw short curl, drag, and slant routes to all his receivers. The deepest pass he completed was an 18 yarder to wideout Tre’Quan Smith during a two-minute drill in the fourth quarter. Yet, Brees put up numbers, completing 29/36 (81% completion) for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Granted, fourth-year halfback Alvin Kamara had more than half of those yards, gaining 130 of them after the catch, but Brees still produced when he needed to. 

If anything, it was the defense that let Brees and Payton down. Coming into tonight’s game, the Saints defense was one the most penalized in the league, with over 230 yards of penalty yards against yards. Against the Packers, they were hit with eight penalties for 83 yards, with cornerback Janoris Jenkins having two pass interference calls against him in the second half. But the worst one goes to all-pro linebacker Demario Davis, who was called offsides on a crucial third and long that set up Crosby’s lead-taking 49-yard field goal. 

What comes next? 

            Green Bay is back in the prime-time lights, as they look to beat down on an Atlanta Falcons team that gave up back-to-back double-digit leads in two consecutive games (blew a 15-point lead to the Dallas Cowboys in week 2, and a 16-point lead to the Chicago Bears in week 3). 

            As for New Orleans, it’s a road trip to the Motor City to take on a Detroit Lions team that’s coming off a last-minute upset win against a red-hot Arizona Cardinals squad. 

Writer

-By: Juan Guarin-Camargo