During Green Bay’s 15-9 loss to the (previously) Detroit Lions with a win on Sunday, TV cameras happened to catch Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers angrily slamming a phone on the sidelines. That in itself is not interesting. Rodgers is far from the only NFL player who can’t hide his frustration when he plays poorly. He’s not even the only future Hall of Famer quarterback venting his anger on technology this season.
However, the nature of his season (which can fairly easily be called his worst – more on that later) is such that this otherwise insignificant moment has already been turned into a meme. Sunday’s loss to defeated Detroit could mark a new low for long-time rivals Packers, but it came as no surprise. Before Sunday’s game, the Packers had lost five of their last eight games, their worst start of the Rodgers era.
Before the season started, it wasn’t clear that Rodgers was headed for his annus horribilis. Most pundits loved him — after all, Rodgers had just won their second straight MVP award — as had the Packers, who became the sixth most popular team to win the Super Bowl. Despite this support, however, there were concerns. Most notably, the Packers traded All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams during the offseason, leaving Rodgers surrounded by mostly untested receivers.
Given all of this, it’s tempting to assume that the blame for the Packers’ poor performances rests on the shoulders of Rodgers’ inexperienced teammates — a lost pass here, a poorly managed route there. At some points in 2022, that was certainly the case. Against Detroit, however, no one but Rodgers is at fault.
Detroit entered the game with the worst defense in the NFL, allowing opponents an average of 32.1 points per game (five points more than the league’s second-worst defense). Against such a normally porous defense, Rodgers threw up three interceptions (all newcomers to the Detroit defense) in his career, including two in the end zone and one from a member of the opposing team’s helmet. These errors did not occur with the Packers receivers. Therefore, the 38-year-old vents his frustration on the phone. Hence the online mockery.
Rodgers’ metamorphosis from human to meme is at least partly his own work. During his MVP run last year, much of the coverage about Rodgers focused on his extracurricular interests. In fact, his fringe beliefs led to him being nicknamed “Q-Aaron.”
In 2022, Rodgers’ play on the field reflects his pseudo-intellectuality off the field – aimless and without merit. The Packers have lost five straight runs and are now 3-6 – their worst start in 15 years – and are four wins behind the first-seeded Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North, a division they were expected to compete with ease would win. Rodgers is the only person to start a game with two straight end zone interceptions in the past 20 years. Last month, Rodgers slammed his teammates, saying, “Guys who make too many mistakes shouldn’t play.” Maybe it’s time he heeded his own advice.
MVP of the week
Joe Mixon was a constant threat to the Bengals on Sunday afternoon. Photo:Jeff Dean/APJoe Mixon, running back, Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals held a 35-0 lead in their 42-21 win over the Carolina Panthers, showing that the game was somehow more of a blowout than the end result would suggest. Perhaps surprisingly, the game’s hero wasn’t Joe Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase. Instead, Mixon scored five touchdowns (four rushing and one receiving) in the first three quarters of the game, breaking the Bengals’ franchise single-game record for touchdowns by a single player.
Statistics of the week
178. That’s how many rushing yards Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields scored in his team’s 35-32 loss to the Miami Dolphins. If that seems like an unusually high number for a quarterback, it’s because Fields just set the regular-season record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game, an honor Michael Vick held for nearly 20 years. Though Fields’ efforts were ultimately in vain, the Bears’ offense appears to be in the capable hands (or feet?) of their steadily improving sophomore quarterback.
quote of the week
“He’s the best in the league, baby. He’s the most accurate in the league – you have to know that.” Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill on Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa.
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Statistics support Hill’s high opinion of his quarterback. Tagovailoa already had the best passer rating in the NFL before Sunday’s game, and his performance in Miami’s 35-32 win over Chicago improved on those already high numbers. He completed more than two-thirds of his pass attempts, and Tagovailoa threw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns while avoiding any interceptions for the second straight week. Most impressively, Tagovailoas Dolphins is unbeaten this season when he plays a full game.
video of the week
In the last three years, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has made a second appearance as the owner of All Elite Wrestling (AEW). In Sunday’s 27-20 loss to Khan’s Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Rock Ya-Sin appeared to be auditioning for a second career in the AEW.
In the second quarter of the Raiders’ 27-20 loss to the Jaguars, Las Vegas native Rock Ya-Sin lifted Jacksonville’s Marvin Jones off his feet before flicking the wide receiver on his helmet with what can only be described as a suplex. Ya-Sin, who was a high school wrestler before a coach steered him towards soccer, has hit NFL opponents with body slams before. No penalty was imposed for the game and Jones appeared unhurt, but in a league under scrutiny for its controversial concussion protocols, it may be time to question the future legality of tackles like Rock’s (or should be we say “The Rock”) Ya-Sin.
Elsewhere in the league
Patrick Mahomes was right in the thick of it on Sunday night. Photo: Ed Zurga/AP– The Tennessee Titans drove the Kansas City Chiefs into overtime on Sunday Night Football before Patrick Mahomes (of course) led his team to a 20-17 win. With Ryan Tannehill out with an ankle injury, the Titans relied on the ever-excellent Derrick Henry for 115 yards. The Chiefs weren’t quite as reliant on the rush — Mahomes threw the ball 68 times, just two shy of the NFL single-game record. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 63 yards on the ground to fly with his 446 yards. You still look like one of the favorites for the Super Bowl.
– The Los Angeles Chargers looked set to screw up another game due to a late error as Austin Ekeler fumbled with a 17-17 tie in the last minute.
Atlanta Falcons defenseman Ta’Quon Graham duly picked up the ball and rumbled down the field in what appeared to set up a game-winning field goal for the Falcons. But then the Falcons passed the Chargers when Graham inexplicably dropped the ball. The Chargers recovered, and shortly thereafter, Cameron Dicker kicked the game winner. Although, it should be noted that the Falcons already have experience with this type of thing.
– Tom Brady added more to his long list of career milestones. In his team’s much-needed victory over the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams, Brady became the first player in history to pass 100,000 yards in his career. Additionally, Brady showed his old cool with a last-minute touchdown drive that won the game and put the Buccaneers to a (tie) lead at the NFC South. There may still be an opportunity to relive Brady’s playoff magic after all.
— The New York Jets are no joke. Currently ranked second in the NFL’s toughest division (every team in the AFC East is currently over .500), the Jets overcame blinding runs from Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (and a bizarre lag from a sky-cam malfunction over the field ). ) to earn a 20-17 testimony win over a Buffalo team considered favorites to win the Super Bowl this year. Zach Wilson managed to stay bug-free and the Jets’ excellent defense did the rest, with cornerback Sauce Gardner – who knocked out Allen and finished a last-minute Hail Mary – once again staked his claim for defensive rookie of the year.
– Who had the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings at the top of their respective divisions at this stage of the season? Geno Smith and Kenneth Walker III were excellent again for the Seahawks, who moved up to 6-3 after their 31-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, who at least have to consider a move from Kliff Kingsbury. The Vikings, meanwhile, have a surprising 7-1 lead over the NFC North following their 20-17 win over the Washington Commanders. First-year head coach Kevin O’Connell is having a very impressive debut year in Minnesota, where he was reunited with Kirk Cousins after their time together in Washington.
— Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made both of his field goal attempts in the Raiders’ loss to Jacksonville to continue his league-best streak of 41 consecutive field goals. Carlson is now just three field goals away from matching Adam Vinatieri’s regular-season record of 44, all-time leading scorer. Meanwhile, Davante Adams hasn’t had a much better time than Rodgers since leaving Green Bay. The Raiders gambled away a 17-point lead for the third time this season and are now 2-6. “If we played for a crappy team, that’s one thing. But it’s not,” Adams said after the game.