5 things on the Packers’ Christmas gift list this year

5. Aaron Rodgers to find his MVP form

Make no mistake about it, Aaron Rodgers is having a great season and he is still the Packers’ X-Factor. Without him, they’d have no hopes of making the Super Bowl. This year, he’s thrown for 3,463 yards, 24 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He has a passer rating of 100.4.

But it’s also fair to say Rodgers hasn’t found his MVP best consistently. He did against the Raiders, earning a perfect passer rating for the first time. Part of that is his receiving talent, but the blame also falls on himself. At times, he’s held the ball too long or just missed a potential big touchdown pass.

Rodgers has shown throughout his career that he can hit that elite level at any moment, and when he gets on an MVP run, there isn’t much any defense can do about it.

The “run the table” success three years ago was all on Rodgers. With the team down and out with a 4-6 record, Rodgers stepped up and threw for 1,667 yards, 15 touchdowns and no interceptions in the final six games. He also had a rushing touchdown. Green Bay won all six and the NFC North.

In the playoffs, Rodgers threw for another 1,004 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions in three games. He converted a Hail Mary touchdown and made that throw to Jared Cook, setting up a game-winning field goal in the divisional round.

Green Bay has a plus-14 turnover differential, second-best in the NFL. The defense has forced 23 turnovers and the offense has only given it away nine times. Za’Darius and Preston Smith have 21.5 sacks between them. Kevin King and Jaire Alexander have six interceptions. Aaron Jones has 17 total touchdowns. The offensive line ranks first in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric.

The Packers have standout performers at key positions. Now imagine Rodgers hits his unstoppable MVP form. Not many teams would like their chances against the Packers with a red-hot Rodgers.