If you want to see fireworks and an Aaron Rodgers light show, then get ready for Sunday afternoon.
The Packers are coming off a disappointing loss in San Francisco that saw Rodgers get bear hugged as the final seconds ticked away. The NFL’s best quarterback never got a chance to unleash a 42-yard seed to give the Packers a huge season-opening upset win.
Now Rodgers has had to face questions this week about closing out and winning tight games from his local media. That chip that tends to resurface when his play is questioned made appearance. He then quickly shot back, “You can win them, you execute on both sides of the ball.”
That was a warranted question. But now the Redskins have to face Rodgers’ wrath. This is a guy you do not want to torque the wrong way.
If Rodgers can get peeved at a Packers fan for calling him short, it surely won’t take much to stoke his motivational fires in Week 2.
Let’s take a quick peek at last year. After “losing”14-12 in the famed Fail Mary game, Rodgers responded with 319 yards and four TDs vs. New Orleans. After losing a heartbreaker in Indy, he threw a 338-yard, six-TD gem at Houston.
His whole career is dripping with disappointment that has led to personal inspiration, which has turned him into a Pro Bowl perfectionist.
The Redskins are going to try to stop Rodgers. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett will throw the kitchen sink at him perhaps by sending London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo on blitzes to disrupt his timing. That stuff works on guys like Christian Ponder or Josh Freeman but not Rodgers.
Coming into this season, the Packers weren’t even the third best team in the NFC by many analysts. Now Rodgers is on a crusade to prove that his team isn’t just adequate but superior enough to push San Francisco and Seattle for a spot in the Super Bowl.
However, that can’t happen unless the Packers earn its 21st win in 22 tries at Lambeau Field. I hate classifying games as “must wins” but if the Packers come up short on Sunday there is a chance they could be staring at 0-3 before the bye with a tough trip to Cincinnati to face the much-improved Bengals.
But that won’t happen. Even though Rodgers was under fire most of the game from Aldon Smith and Justin Smith, he managed to throw for 333 yards and three scores. That was the first time since Nov. 25, 2012 in a loss at the Giants that Rodgers finished a game with a completion percentage under 60.
And let’s not forget that the Redskins allowed 263 rushing yards last week. A lot of those were due to Washington’s defense feeling gassed after getting Chipped with an offense that was deemed not to work in the pros. Expect Mike McCarthy to follow the same script and keep his foot on the gas by going with the no huddle as often as he can.
It’s the home opener, the Packers are coming off a loss and Rodgers has yet another proverbial chip on his shoulder.
It doesn’t matter how questionable the defense looked last week. Rodgers will slice up the Redskins secondary with the delicacy of a surgeon.
——————Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn
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“Expect Mike McCarthy to follow the same script and keep his foot on the gas by going with the no huddle as often as he can.”
We can’t run the no-huddle close to the speed that the Eagles’did…c’mon!
Nor should we. A little ball control is needed here. Another 17 minute time of possession differential would not be healthy for our defense.
Go Arod!..I agree, I feel like this is close to a must win game. Need to win at home and keep the home field advantage alive and become a 500 team. Need to beat a NFC team for playoff seeding help. Need to not start 0-2 heading into a on the road game against Cincinnati. Need to get a win and build momentum. Need to come out with the same intensity as last week, but, with the DBs learning from their mistakes and playing better. Need to give the Lambeau faithful a home win. Go Pack Go!
Need to pass to set up the run vs. this team, they have two rookies starting in the dbackfield.
Only his coach has prevented Rodgers from achieving the Manning level.
Aaron Rodgers supposed inability to win the close one, or mount a late comeback is crap. Look at his overall record, passer rating and all the comebacks he orchestrated only to have Crosby miss the game winner, or the defense or special teams promptly gave back the game he just seemingly won. He is one part of the team the isn’t a problem. If the criticism of press or fans motivates him to greater achievement, malcontents, by all means do your thing!
It isnt so much Rogers problem, it is the teams inability to respond.
The packers are built to strike quick and jump to a lead, not grind the tough yards out, control the clock, and come back when needed. It could be argued they are a dome or finesse team.
The strike quick mentality keeps our defense on the field too long, tires them and they make more mistakes. Although the talent level has improved on the D, nobody not named Matthews gets to the QB. What happened to inside pass rush?
The offense needs to learn how to control the clock by running and by taking what is given to them (short yardage)versus the current “tunnel vision” for getting the ball down the field.