GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers didn’t think he would play another terrible inning on Sunday against New England Patriotsand Green Bay Packers quarterback was right.
And Packers coach Matt LaFleur hopes he won’t make what he calls “the worst decision of the day” again when it comes to an unrecommended replay challenge.
They got away with it – just barely – on Sunday Win overtime 27-24 against the Patriots at Lambeau Field. But they didn’t facing a third string rookie midfielder In Bailey Zappe for most games, they may not have.
Rodgers said: “This way of winning, I don’t think is sustainable because it puts too much pressure on our defence. “And obviously, I have to play better and will play better.”
While fully appreciative that he is lucky for his team to lead 3-1 in next Sunday’s game against New York Giants in London, Rodgers did not hide from the reality of what could happen.
“You can’t lose 2-2 to a third midfielder and not play well in all three phases, so we have to have this game,” Rodgers said. “That doesn’t take away from the joy of winning, but this is what we have to have.”
The Packers took a 10-7 lead at halftime due in part to Rodgers, who:
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Has the lowest passer rating (11.2) of any of the 210 games he has started.
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Throwing only six fourth picks of his career when rookie took the corner Jack Jones jump out of the route the midfielder intended for Allen Lazardin which Rodgers said he “missed very badly [Jones] tame it. That would be very good. If I hit the ball in the right place, he might pick it up in stride. “
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Too far from the target in a short throw to Romeo Doubs that the rookie’s wideband receiver couldn’t secure it easily enough before he fumbled. “It wasn’t a good throw,” said Rodgers. “He caught it really well. I almost wish he’d dropped it.”
Rodgers had nothing to put on the pitch in the first half. He completed only 1 in 5 passes with 10 yards or more in the first two quarters. It was a 24-yard player for Lazard (who had six 116-yard catches on his first day of 100-yard picks by a Packers player this season). In the second half, Rodgers went 7-eat-9 with such throws for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
“I settle down and don’t usually have two terrible halves,” says Rodgers. “So I got back to the form I expected from myself, and we started the football motion.”
It helped Rodgers finally begin to stretch the pitch. According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, he averaged 9.0 yards during the season on Sunday after averaging 5.2 yards in the lowest league in his first three weeks, according to ESPN Stats research. & Information.
It also helps the Packers dash for 199 yards (including 110 by Aaron Jones day 16 bearing).
But the mistake still caused him to work overtime.
One was from LaFleur, who challenged what he thought was the Doubs’ 40-yard touchdown with a time of 2 minutes, 2 seconds. The doubters clearly weren’t sure of the catch, and LaFleur even said his keen-eyed coach, Connor Lewis, told him just as much. However, LaFleur threw the red flag. Losing the challenge cost him a timeout that might have helped the Packers win by regulation, but instead, they won the ball back with just four seconds left.
“I’m not too proud of that moment,” LaFleur said. “It was an emotional decision, and I think it’s a great lesson learned that you can never make emotional decisions in battle. You know better. You have to live. Connor Lewis was in my ear, he was up in the box and he was in my ear, and he said, ‘I don’t think so.’ And he said we shouldn’t challenge it. Just make an emotional decision, and it’s almost like throwing a Hail. That could come back and bite us in the ass.”
And then there’s the Packers’ defense, which has been heavily advertised pre-season. The defense almost let a third-string quarterback beat it, and it has struggled against the run (Patriots average 5.1 yards each) so far.
While the way they win may not be sustainable, that doesn’t mean the Packers can’t keep winning.
“I think victory is certain,” said Rodgers. “I think we’ll have to play a little bit better when we start in midfield and if our defense doesn’t play as well as they could.”
