Rodgers Continues to Excel in Game of Keepaway

“If four is a big number,” Rodgers said of this year's interception total, “I think that just goes to show you what the standard has been around here.”

GREEN BAY, Wis. – One-fourth of the way through the season, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur was asked if his star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, could go an entire season without throwing an interception.

About two-thirds of the way through the season, Rodgers on Wednesday was asked about matching last year’s interception total with six games to go.

So it is with Rodgers, the greatest quarterback of all-time when it comes to making game-changing plays while avoiding game-killing turnovers.

In last week’s loss to Indianapolis, Rodgers threw three touchdown passes vs. one interception. For the season, he’s thrown 29 touchdowns vs. four interceptions. In NFL history, there have been only four seasons in which a quarterback has 28-plus touchdown passes and four-or-fewer interceptions through the first 10 games of the season. Rodgers has authored three of those seasons – this year and his MVP seasons of 2011 and 2014 – and Tom Brady had the other with New England in 2007.

“I think at some point you’re going to have some of those happen,” Rodgers, who is fourth in interception percentage this season, said in the accompanying video. “In any season, to me, it’s about the number of potentially intercepted passes. You think about, I haven’t thrown many clean ones over the years. There’s been some tipped passes and things of that nature. Those are the ones that are the most disappointing. You’re just trying to avoid the ones (that are) bad decisions. I felt like on Sunday, it was a great decision — just the throw didn’t come out the right way. Those are going to happen.”

Even with the four giveaways against the Colts, the Packers enter Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears ranked third in the NFL with only nine turnovers.

Rodgers is coming off seasons of 25 touchdowns vs. two interceptions in 2018 and 26 touchdowns vs. four interceptions in 2019. The Packers will gladly trade a couple more interceptions for the potential of an extra dozen-plus touchdowns.

“You look at Aaron over the course of the years, he is not a guy that throws a lot of picks,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He had one [against Indianapolis], and that happens. That’s sometimes the price of doing business. I think he’s been pretty aggressive this year.”

Rodgers ranks second among current passers with a career touchdown rate of 6.1 percent and first all-time with an interception rate of 1.4 percent.

“If four is a big number,” Rodgers said of this year's interception total, “I think that just goes to show you what the standard has been around here.”