Green Bay Packers: Improved defense is best help for Aaron Rodgers

The Green Bay Packers have been criticized for not giving Aaron Rodgers enough help in the past. One way to fix that is with an improved defense.

The “the supporting cast of Aaron Rodgers isn’t good enough” crowd has been loud for years. There’s been good reason for it too when looking at the Green Bay Packers. He hasn’t had too much help over the years running backs wise. Meanwhile, the offensive line has struggled and his tight ends have been a mess.

The biggest offender of the not-helping-Rodgers case has always been the defense though. Now it’s blatantly obvious that improving this facet of the roster will make the biggest difference for the quarterback.

There are a few things a better defense can do to help Rodgers and company. A lot of it will lead to a healthier superstar quarterback.

First is allowing less points. If the defense can keep the other team off the scoreboard, it will give the Packers a chance to score first. If Green Bay gets the lead, they can run the ball more often. This leaves the ball out of Rodgers hands, leading to less him taking less hits.

Next, they can give Rodgers a shorter field. According to Pro Football Reference the Packers were tied for fourth worst when it came to starting field position, at their own 26.5.

Averaging a start on their own 26.5, Rodgers and co. had to put together long drives if they wanted to score. Shortening the field will shorten the amount of time the offense is on the field, keeping the quarterback rested and healthy.

Finally, this is where it gets tricky. The Packers defense actually stayed on the field longer than most. They were second worst in the league by averaging 2 minutes and 55 seconds per opponents drive. That means their opponents drives were the second longest in football. So technically they were giving Rodgers a rest.

At the same time though, they were doing so while giving up 5.5 yards per play (eighth worst in the NFL). If they can cut that down it will lead to not much of a difference time wise, but will make a massive difference when it comes to field position.

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So it’s kind of like telling them to keep Rodgers off the field, but get themselves off the field faster at the same time. It’s a confusing process. All-in-all though, it’s pretty simple. The Green Bay Packers have needed to give Aaron Rodgers some help for years. Improving the defense will not only make things easy on him when it comes to scoring, but it should keep him rested and healthier at the same time.