Aaron Rodgers Blames Interception vs. Saints on ‘Double Nut Shot’
That’s a valid excuse
The Packers’ loss to the Saints on Sunday was a painful one for Aaron Rodgers—in more ways than one.
Green Bay got pushed around by New Orleans in a 38–3 blowout and Rodgers looked nothing like the reigning MVP. He completed just 15 of 28 passes for 133 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
The first interception had Packers fans groaning. It came on the opening possession of the second half, with Green Bay trailing 17–3. The Packers had taken 11 plays to march into scoring territory. They had a second-and-7 from the 9-yard line when Rodgers faced heavy pressure as he dropped back to pass. He was hit as he attempted to find Davante Adams on a short pass and made a terrible throw behind his receiver that landed right in the arms of a defender.
When have you ever seen Rodgers make a throw that badly? It’s so unlike him. But, he has a perfectly reasonable explanation for the uncharacteristically awful pass. Those hits he took as he released the ball were more painful than they might have looked.
Rodgers made one of his regular appearances on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday and explained that he took a “double nut shot” on the play.
“I don’t like to make a lot of excuses for interceptions—there’s some s--- ones, there’s some ones you wish you had back, there’s some ones that really aren’t your fault,” Rodgers said. “That one was entirely due to the double nut shot I took. I stepped up in the pocket; I was going to throw across my body to Davante, who was running a shallow cross. That’s a ball I’ve thrown in practice before; I didn’t feel bad about that throw.
“And right before I’m throwing it, I took a left clothesline—an A.J. Hawk or Brady Poppinga clothesline—and somebody on the right with a right cross. Double nut shot. I guess I’ve got to overcome that and throw a better ball. That was a painful one. They got their money’s worth on that.”
I guess that’s what it takes to force one of the most accurate passers in NFL history into making a throw like that.
Rodgers added that the last time he wore a cup while playing football was in eighth grade, but now he’s “definitely thought about” adding a little below-the-belt protection after what the Saints did to him.
The best of SI
Tom Verducci goes long on the biggest star in baseball, Shohei Ohtani. ... Six pending MLB free agents who need to finish the season strong. ... Barcelona’s 3–0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League showed why it has a long way to go to reach elite status again.
Around the sports world
U.S. Soccer will offer the men’s and women’s national teams equal pay. ... The NFL will make an announcement about the future of Hard Knocks during halftime of this week’s Thursday Night Football game. ... Manchester United players are afraid to eat dessert in front of Cristiano Ronaldo, lest they be judged by soccer’s Tom Brady.
The home run chase is a three-man race
That guy weighs 240 pounds
The defending champs have officially clinched a playoff spot
American Jordan Pefok netted the winning goal in Swiss club’s Young Boys’ big upset over Man U
Nick Saban’s favorite joke is perhaps not what you would expect
Seems like a stupid rule
Not sports
A British man was arrested while attending an F1 race in the Netherlands after he was mistaken for a fugitive mafia boss. ... A North Carolina man has won three big lottery jackpots in four years after buying scratch-off tickets from the same store. ... The guy walking down the beach in Texas dressed as Michael Myers is a few weeks early for Halloween.
My three favorite Norm MacDonald videos
A good song
Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
