Packers at the Bye: Quarterbacks

With 12 games down and a fight for the No. 1 seed and the playoffs on the horizon, here’s the key at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers is coming off one of the great seasons in NFL history en route to winning MVP honors last season. His passer rating of 121.5 was second-best in NFL history, and he joined Steve Young as the only quarterbacks since Sammy Baugh in 1940 to lead the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown percentage and interception percentage.

So, a bit of regression was probably the expectation for Rodgers. Still, and relatively quietly, Rodgers is having an excellent season. He’s second in the NFL with a 105.5 passer rating, and he’s in the top 10 in touchdown percentage, interception percentage and yards per attempt. Since that Week 1 debacle against the Saints, Rodgers has thrown 23 touchdowns vs. only two interceptions. That’s darned good work considering the injuries and revolving door on the offensive line.

Playing with a broken pinky toe, Rodgers had a spectacular second half in trying to rally Green Bay at Minnesota, then played with excellent efficiency in beating the Rams at Lambeau Field before the bye. That’s six consecutive outstanding quarters. If he can come out of the bye feeling better physically, he – and the team – will be in a good spot for the stretch run.

“He’s really good. He’s really good,” offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said of Rodgers’ play while injured. “The fact that guy hasn’t practiced for as long as he hasn’t, if it was anybody else, you’d be concerned but his preparation. How he is with the team, how he is around the team, being out at practice, calling in the plays for the guys, messing with the guys, just his presence out there is as important as anything. He’s a leader of our team. To see him out there and not even skip a beat once he gets on the field, it’s just a credit to his toughness.”

Two areas stand out moving forward.

First, of 33 quarterbacks with at least 20 deep attempts (20-plus yards downfield), Rodgers is 20th in passer rating (85.6) and 21st in completion percentage (35.8), according to Pro Football Focus. However, he’s 6-of-12 with three touchdowns the past two games. The return of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who has caught 4-of-9 deep shots after missing five games with a hamstring injury, has been key to the improvement.

Second, as part of the team’s woefully underperforming red-zone attack, Rodgers is 22nd with an 87.9 passer rating from inside the 20-yard line. While he’s tied for third with 18 touchdown passes, he’s also 22nd with a 54.4 percent completion rate. He’s got to make it happen near the goal line for this offense to reach peak efficiency.

Improvement in those phases will be just the ticket for an offense that’s a mediocre 16th with 23.6 points per game. That, in turn, could be the difference in potential playoff matchups against Tampa Bay, Dallas and Arizona – all of whom are in the top five in scoring.