Is it possible that a decidedly lopsided
game could still be a concern for the winning team? The Green Bay Packers
out-gained the Buffalo Bills 423 to 145, forcing three turnovers and sacking Bills
quarterback Josh Allen seven times for losses of 64 yards despite the fact that
high-priced free agent DL Muhammad Wilkerson is out for the season in a 22-0
victory. What, just 22 measly points you say? Just two touchdowns scored and
three field goals? Maybe the offense was just taking it easy, just to keep
Aaron Rodgers upright? Rodgers played the entire game—I mean played the entire game. You would think that Rodgers just needed to throw
high-percentage passes all day and it would all be just an easy day at the
office. But it wasn’t; during one point in the second half, Rodgers was clearly
laboring, completing just 1 of 9 and finishing the
game 22 of 40 for 298 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT to go along with a lost fumble for
a un-Rodgers-like 76 QB rating. It seemed like he just kept throwing the ball
hoping to hit a “hot streak” to make the memory of it all go away.
So while the Bears Mitchell
Trubisky was throwing for 354 yards and six-count-them-six touchdown passes
against Tampa Bay (as Ryan Fitzpatrick landed like a thud back down to Earth),
Rodgers with his injured knee continues to look not only just human, but distressingly
so. It is a matter of his brace-enhanced knee actually gets better—or worse,
worse. In the last couple of games Rodgers clearly digressed as time went on,
and one can only surmise that he is a hard hit from being done for the season.
After last season, it is easy for a Packer fan to be somewhat pessimistic. If
there was a solid, reliable alternative at quarterback, then maybe there would
be less concern that Rodgers would have to play to the point of near paralysis
for the team to have any chance of winning a game. This is the fault of team
management and the decisions they have made in terms of personnel. Neither
Rodgers, the team or the fans have been done any favors.
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