Why They Won: Green Bay vs. New England
By Kenn Korb
Nov 30, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) looks to throw a pass during the first half gainst the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Master Rodgers
Of course, this wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the leader of the team.
In a matchup of two great QBs, Aaron Rodgers firmly set himself above Tom Brady at least for one day. Don’t take anything away from Brady (he played well) but Rodgers just had more than him here.
He faced a defense that matched up greatly to take away his top receivers all day. After the first drive, the running game wasn’t able to consistently produce. He had his hand stomped on during a scramble early in the game.
Nothing mattered, however; he just kept producing. On the day, he put up a strong stat-line as usual (24/38, 368 yards, 2 TD, 90.7 QBR) and continued a bunch of his impressive streaks.
– 6-0 at home
– 20-0 home TD-to-INT ratio this season (double any other QB in league history)
– 31 home TD-to-INT ratio overall (league record); that ranges across 12 straight starts going back to the 2012 season
– 6 straight home games with 2+TDs and zero INTS (ties Peyton Manning league-record streak from 2010-12 seasons)
– 360 straight passes at home without an INT (league record)
He also managed to produce his third-best passing yardage for a half (284 in the first half) along the way.
Rodgers is as good as ever this year, and as long as Green Bay finishes strong (based on the way they are playing and the remaining schedule, they should) fans can rejoice in the fact that he is a likely candidate for MVP and his team has a great shot at the top seed in the NFC.
It’s a great time to be a fan of the Green Bay Packers; appreciate it while we’ve got it.