Aaron Rodgers has done or accomplished about everything an NFL quarterback can do or accomplish in a Hall of Fame career. He's been missing one thing: playing in the NFC Championship Game at home. But with his favorite target, tight end Jared Cook, out for the season with a knee injury, it looks like that could change this year.
In fact, it's possible that Rodgers could play a role in helping his team reach its first NFC title game since 2013. The Packers lost both games last year to the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson and Co. ; this year they face a Falcons team that may be without star wide receiver Julio Jones due to a foot injury. If Rodgers can connect with one of these other-worldly receivers en route to another victory over Atlanta, we might see him go head-to-head with Tom Brady for the second time this season and perhaps even win.
It would be quite the turnaround for Rodgers who hasn't reached the NFC Championship game since 2015 when he helped lead Chicago to a 34-30 victory over New England. At the time, it was considered by many to be one of the greatest playoff runs ever by a quarterback. Since then, Rodgers has missed more than half of each season because of injuries.
Rodgers is well-known for breaking a number of records. With his extraordinary abilities, he was not only the Super Bowl XLV champion, but also the MVP. Throughout his career, he has received several awards, including 2x NFL Most Valuable Player, 2x First-Team All-Pro, Associated Press Athlete of the Year, and others. Before becoming an NFL quarterback, Rodgers worked as a commercial artist.
He started off his career at Wisconsin where he played college football. After finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting as a junior and senior, he entered the 2005 NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers selected him with the first pick in the draft. As of 2019, he has yet to play his first game in any other team's uniform.
During his time at Wisconsin, Rodgers worked as a stocker at Wal-Mart. He explained that he wanted to be a coach when he grew up and felt like working at a grocery store would help him learn the trade.
When he was a kid, Rodgers loved to draw cartoons. He said that he had been drawing since he could hold a pen. He added that one of his heroes was Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons). His father, Bob, was a school teacher who later became a police officer, and his mother, Marinda, was a secretary. They divorced when he was young, but he still visits her in Milwaukee every week-end.
Rodgers is on pace for a season unprecedented in NFL history, as he would become the first player to accomplish 4,500 yards and 48 throwing touchdowns while maintaining a 68 percent completion rate and a 118.0 rating. Both the completion percentage and the number of touchdown passes would be career highs. The previous record was 3,713 yards and 36 touchdowns passed by Brett Favre in 2009.
Besides being the most prolific passer of all time, Rodgers has also been one of the best quarterbacks in football this year. He has a 99.4 rating compared to 94.4 for Ryan Tannehill and 90.4 for Eli Manning. Rodgers has also thrown only two interceptions compared to Tannehill's 13 and Manning's 9. He has also been able to avoid getting sacked with 22 attempts being kept alive by offensive linemen. Only three other quarterbacks have been able to make it through their games without being hit.
The Packers are 12-3 and hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC ahead of their game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. If they win that game, they will advance to the Divisional Round where they will face the Arizona Cardinals. The winner of that game will go on to face the Denver Broncos in the NFC Championship Game.
Rodgers has always been able to keep his level of play high even when his team wasn't playing well.
But he'd previously won two Super Bowls and was playing in his seventh season for the third time. He passed for 17 touchdowns in 12 games while only being intercepted five times and leading the league in yards per completion. The Situation: Rodgers' early offensive drive gave the Packers a 7-0 lead. But on their next possession, New York scored a touchdown and a field goal to go up 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Giants went up 13-7 when Manning found tight end Jake Ballard for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
Manning was limited to 218 yards passing but three touchdowns and no interceptions. He played just four quarters due to a shoulder injury he suffered in the fourth quarter of the regular season finale against Chicago. The veteran quarterback was replaced by rookie Daniel Jones who finished the game 14 of 20 for 193 yards with one touchdown and an interception. This was his only career start. With the loss, the Giants ended their season at 10-6.
As you can see, Rodgers threw for over 300 yards in both of his playoff games with multiple touchdowns. He will be counted on again this year to lead the Pack back to the playoffs after they lost Nelson in free agency.
Furthermore, Rodgers has established himself as one of the top running backs in the NFL, not only as a sensitive player. Similarly, he has played for a variety of clubs, including the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He began his professional career with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent after completing college at North Carolina State. He spent three seasons with the team, appearing in 46 games while posting 95 carries for 459 yards and five touchdowns along with 18 receptions for 214 yards. In 2007, he led the Falcons in rushing with 740 yards and seven scores on 122 attempts. The following year, he became just the third rookie in league history to reach 1,000 yards from scrimmage when he finished with 1,042 total yards - 158 coming through the air and 984 on ground. That same year, he also led the team in scoring with nine touchdowns.
In 2009, Rodgers joined the Chicago Bears as they looked to replace the retiring Michael Vick. He appeared in 15 games for the Bears during his first season with the club, finishing with 603 yards from scrimmage and four scores. He also added 33 catches for 393 yards and two more touchdowns through the air.
Rodgers entered the 2010 campaign as the #1 running back by many analysts, but he was soon replaced by veteran Thomas Jones.
Aaron Rodgers, full name Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983 in Chico, California, United States), is an American professional gridiron football quarterback who is widely regarded as one of the best to have ever played the position. In 2011, he guided the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) to a Super Bowl victory.
He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the 2001 MLB Draft but chose not to play baseball. Instead, he focused on playing football for the University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers where he became the third player in NCAA history to pass for over 3,000 yards in a season when he did so in 2005. The following year, he led the Badgers to their first Rose Bowl victory after the school had gone 90 years without a bowl game. He finished his college career with 10,972 passing yards and 92 touchdowns.
After graduating from Wisconsin in 2006, he entered the NFL draft. He was considered one of the best quarterbacks available in the 2006 NFL Draft and was selected second by the Packers who were looking for a replacement for Brett Favre. He has since become one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history. Under his leadership, the Packers have won two NFL Championships and are expected to win more during his remaining contract period. He is also credited with bringing the league back into popularity after the long Atlanta Falcons era.
Rodgers has been named the NFL MVP twice, in 2012 and 2016.
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