Aaron Rodgers spent much of his Green Bay Packers career hiding the team's biggest deficiencies. He often had to cover for poor defensive play or, occasionally, a struggling offensive line.
Jordan Love overcame adversity to guide the Packers to a memorable win over Rodgers' Pittsburgh Steelers, but not before his predecessor handed his former employer a harsh reminder of an area they must fix before it's too late.
Before Micah Parsons and the pass rush cranked up the pressure and Love took the game away from Rodgers, the four-time MVP exposed the problem that continues to haunt the Packers at cornerback. And they only have one more week to find a solution.
Aaron Rodgers delivers a painful reminder that Packers must find cornerback help before the trade deadline
Green Bay has to make a move at the NFL trade deadline. The Packers have already learned one brutal lesson, benching Nate Hobbs only five games into his $48 million contract. Carrington Valentine took his spot and delivered an impressive performance.
But that only solves part of the problem.
Keisean Nixon had a disastrous performance on the other side of the field, once again highlighting a major issue that could prevent the Packers from reaching their potential this season. Rodgers went after him, particularly in the first half, and placed Green Bay's biggest concern under a primetime spotlight.
Whether it's by using more draft capital or finding a creative player-for-player trade, the Packers need to acquire another cornerback who can potentially replace Nixon in the starting lineup.
In the first half alone, Nixon completely lost wide receiver Roman Wilson on a 45-yard completion, got called for a holding penalty and blatant pass interference, and then allowed an easy touchdown to DK Metcalf. Oh, and we can add a muffed punt to that list, although that's not a defensive issue.
Rodgers kept targeting him, and with success almost every time.
It changed in the second half, but only because the Packers' pass rush shifted into a higher gear and completely dominated the line of scrimmage. When the pass rush isn't on fire, great quarterbacks can expose the issues at cornerback. Rodgers did that.
The 2011 Super Bowl MVP had to cover for many defensive concerns during his 18-year stay in Green Bay. He rarely had a defense this talented, but until the Packers find a cornerback fix, they risk everything falling apart when the biggest games begin in January.
Rodgers is no longer masking the Packers' deficiencies. He exposed one on Sunday Night Football. It's now over to Brian Gutekunst to find a solution before the November 4 trade deadline.