Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers falls flat in critical moment
The Green Bay Packers fell to 4-5-1 for the season. Typically, quarterback Aaron Rodgers manages to pull out stunning victories; he fell flat Thursday.
Usually, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers goes into winning-mode when his team needs him to engineer a scoring drive late in games. Against the Seattle Seahawks, his right hand ran out of magic.
Down 27-24 late in the fourth quarter, Rodgers faced another critical moment in which the Packers leaned on him to move the offense in position to tie or win the game. Instead, he bounced a short pass to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on third-and-2.
This time, it wasn’t exiled running back Ty Montgomery‘s fault for returning a kick, when instructed not to do so, with two minutes and five seconds left in the game. Rodgers simply came up short, literally.
It’s atypical to call out Rodgers for coming up small in the clutch, but Michael Cohen of The Athletic picked up on the pivotal moment:
What was that from Rodgers? Skipped it into the ground on third down and then looked at his right hand in disbelief. That was so strange. #Packers forced to punt. #Seahawks in control now.
— Michael Cohen (@Michael_Cohen13) November 16, 2018
When asked if he thought about keeping the offense on the field, head coach Mike McCarthy said, “definitely…we played the numbers,” in the postgame press conference (h/t ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky).
Essentially, he trusted his defense that gave up 7.5 yards per play more than a Rodgers-led offense to pick up two yards. What happened to putting the game in the hands of your best player? Where’s the faith in one of the best quarterbacks in the game? It’s an inexplicable decision.
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The Packers’ loss isn’t entirely Rodgers’ fault. He dropped dimes Thursday and aired a beautiful 54-yard touchdown pass to fourth-string tight end Robert Tonyan. Nonetheless, the two-time league MVP has set the standard so high that we expect to see him take over in the final minutes — and it didn’t happen this time.
After Rodgers’ incomplete pass and a punt, the Seahawks ran out the clock, which shifts the focus to another fault in the Packers’ defeat.
Seattle ran the ball 35 times for 173 yards and a touchdown. Coming into Thursday’s contest, the Seahawks led the league in rushing attempts and yards. Yet, the Packers still allowed 4.9 yards per carry and couldn’t stop their opponent in the final minutes with the game on the line.
The Packers saw the Seahawks’ rushing onslaught on the horizon and failed to stop what they knew would come forth, which is an even bigger issue. Let’s widen the scope a bit; Green Bay hasn’t won a road game this season.
On paper, a team that can’t stop the run or win on the road isn’t a playoff team. Although the Packers (4-5-1) have an opportunity to climb back into the race for an NFC North title, it’s alarming this team either falls flat or allows games to slip away with self-inflicted errors.
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Kicker Mason Crosby‘s four missed field goals against the Detroit Lions in Week 5, (he misfired on one attempt Thursday as well) Montgomery’s miscue in returning a kick and Rodgers’ ground-ball throw to Valdes-Scantling could come back to bite the Packers late in the season when they’re jockeying for a spot in the postseason.
Regardless of the outcome between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears Sunday, the Packers have must-win games against both teams on the road, starting with the Vikings in Week 12.