How far can Aaron Rodgers carry the Green Bay Packers this season?
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He inspired their comeback against the Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers offered yet another reminder of his star quality last weekend
The Chicago Bears took a deserved 17-0 lead into half-time of the opening game of the season. To make matters worse, Rodgers was carted off with a bad knee injury. It looked like any chance of getting something from the game had gone.
But a patched-up Rodgers came back into the game after the break. He fired his team to an incredible comeback, overturning a 20-point deficit going into the final quarter to win 24-23.
The two-time NFL MVP could barely run, but he still managed to lead four scoring drives with three touchdowns.
The game displayed how Rodgers can control proceedings, but it also highlighted how much the Packers depend on him. How far can they go this season?
Too reliant on Rodgers?
Is any other team as reliant on one player as the Packers are with Rodgers?
Last season they had a 4-1 record after the first five games. Then Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone in October and missed the rest of the campaign. They ended up with a 7-9 record.
The Wisconsin franchise missed the playoffs action for the first time since 2008, the same year Rodgers established himself as a starter.
If Rodgers isn’t available, the replacements aren’t up to scratch. DeShone Kizer only spent six minutes in the QB role against the Bears but managed to fumble in the red zone and throw a pick-six.
Brett Hundley came in after the 34-year-old suffered his injury last season. He struggled to run the offence and was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in the off-season.
Playoffs… at least?
But if Rodgers can stay fit and perform at his best, he can lift the whole team to dizzying heights.
The Packers are 11/2 to win the NFC and 11/1 to win Super Bowl LIII. Expect those odds to get longer if Rodgers misses any action. The Packers icon is the 333/100 favourite to win the MVP award.
His right arm is a cannon, capable of launching the ball huge distances with speed and incredible precision.
He’s got a long list of records to go with it, such as being the only quarter-back in NFL history to have a career passing rating over 100.0 in the regular season. He’s also got the league’s all-time best touchdown-to-interception ratio at 4.13.
Rodgers is confident of being fit to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Pack are 5/6 favourites, but on last week’s evidence, they’re going to need the California-born quarterback to be ready to play.
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