Is Aaron Rodgers trending down?

Aaron Rodgers has been an unbelievable player for a long time with the Green Bay Packers, but have we seen the best of him? Is he trending down in 2019?

The Green Bay Packers are 10-3 thus far under first-year head coach Matt LaFleur. Green Bay faces a tough divisional opponent at home on Sunday, but the Packers are better than the Chicago Bears at this point, so they should win this game. That being said, what are the chances we’ve seen the best of Aaron Rodgers at this point of his illustrious NFL career out of Cal?

On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame and Josh Hill, along with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, look at the Packers’ upcoming matchup in Week 15 vs. the Bears. Even though he believes Green Bay will win, Verderame has some questions about Rodgers’ play of late. Is he trending down in 2019 (32:54)?

“Rodgers has this growing and increasing tendency, it’s odd, where like, he holds the ball forever and he just keeps waiting to make the 90-yard touchdown throw on third-and-4,” said Verderame. “I don’t understand what’s going on. Like, just throw the ball, just get rid of the football. That’s just not gonna fly in a playoff game, man.”

At 10-3 with only division games remaining, the Packers still have a chance at earning home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, should the eventual NFC West winner between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks slip up the rest of the way. That being said, this is the same Rodgers who used to carry this team for years with bad defenses backing him up.

Rodgers does finally have a solid running game behind him, thanks to Aaron Jones. LaFleur has done the best job of any first-year head coach this season and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine seems to have that side of the ball playing as well as it has in years. But what this all really comes down to is if Rodgers can make that big play or three to lead the Packers to multiple playoff wins.

Right now, he’s no longer playing at an MVP-level as his passing numbers are roughly 10th across the board in the NFL. That’s not the end of the world because the Packers are still one of the better teams in the NFL. But Green Bay fans may need to start worrying if Rodgers’ best days as an NFL quarterback are behind him. He’s in his mid-30s and he’s not getting any younger.

Here are a few other topics discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:

• FanSided 250, Verderame and Schwartz’s interests (0:40)
• Verderame, Schwartz break down bad TLC shows (5:01)
• Who are the real Super Bowl contenders? (52:20)
• What to watch for in Week 15 (54:14)

All this and more!

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