Green Bay Packers: 3 Ways to fix team for stretch run
By Joe Kipp
Aaron Rodgers needs to get out of his own way
He’s been the face of the Packers franchise for nearly 15 years now, but Aaron Rodgers isn’t without blame when it comes to Green Bay’s offensive woes in 2018. Sure, his stats look good on the surface (3,073 yards, 19 touchdowns, one interception), but to anyone paying close attention, Rodgers hasn’t looked like his usual self this season.
Maybe it’s due to the lack of practice time from a knee injury he suffered in Week 1, or a slow recovery from the broken collarbone to his throwing shoulder that ended his 2017 season. With a birthday around the corner (Rodgers turns 35 on Dec. 2), the reality is that Rodgers isn’t the young buck he used to be.
We’ve seen it from time to time when he’s scrambled outside the pocket. There’s been a few instances when Rodgers has tried scrambling for a first down, only to be outran by an opposing defender to the yard maker.
If his play is declining slightly due to his age, fine — Rodgers needs to realize that, though. He needs to take the easy checkdown to his running back when the open receiver isn’t there. He needs to place more trust in his young receivers. And he needs to allow the game come to him by not purposely extending the play outside the pocket when he doesn’t need to.
Yes, Rodgers is a huge reason for why the Packers have four wins this year. But he’s also one of the reasons for why Green Bay has struggled at times on offense. Rodgers needs to get out of his own way and cut his losses when he should.