If anyone was wondering whether Aaron Rodgers was among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, his performance Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons answered the question.
Rodgers completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 48-21 rout of the Falcons.
The Packers QB had another exceptional game for the second straight week. He led Green Bay over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wildcard game by completing 18 of 27 passes for 180 yards and three TD’s.
Since being taken in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Rodgers long road to becoming the King of Green Bay hasn’t been easy.
Almost immediately, Rodgers presence made Brett Favre uncomfortable. When asked if he would serve as a mentor to Rodgers, Favre said, “It’s not my job to train anybody.”
The Packers envisioned Rodgers as the future replacement for Favre, and for three seasons he was the ultimate backup.
Rodgers saw very limited playing time until the end of the 2007 season when Favre began his annual “should I stay or should I go” routine.
Packers GM Ted Thompson apparently had grown tired of Favre’s Prima donna act and in August 2008 traded him to the New York Jets.
In his first year as the starter, Rodgers played in all 16 games completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns.
But Rodgers production didn’t translate into wins as Green Bay finished the season 6-10. But the progression towards becoming an elite quarterback began the following season.
Despite getting sacked 50 times in 2009, Rodgers led the Packers to an 11-5 record and a Wildcard berth in the playoffs. He completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 4,434 yards and 30 TD’s while throwing only seven interceptions.
This season Rodgers missed most of one game and sat out another due to a concussion he received against the Detroit Lions, but he still managed to complete 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,922 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Now Rodgers has Green Bay on the verge of their first Super Bowl appearance since 1998.
While Rodgers possesses all of the tools needed to be an elite quarterback, it’s his accuracy that makes him so lethal.
As former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman noted during Saturday’s game against the Falcons, of all the skills a QB may have it’s being able to put the ball where needed that’s most important.
Rodgers has already supplanted Favre in the hearts and minds of Green Bay fans. If he can continue to perform as he’s done thus far in the playoffs, he’ll cause everyone to permanently forget who used to wear #4 for the Packers.
And regardless if the Packers defeat the Chicago Bears next week in the NFC Championship, there won’t be any doubts that Rodgers has increased his level of play to a point where no one can say he isn’t one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.
