If they named an MVP of preseason, it would be Aaron Rodgers
If the NFL gets its way, the four-game preseason will soon be a thing of the past. So in one of what is likely the final few summers with four meaningless exhibition games (at full price for the fans), it’s important to step back and take a good look at just what Aaron Rodgers is accomplishing in Green Bay.
The quarterback was nearly flawless Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field. Rodgers completed 21 of 29 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers bolted to a 28-17 halftime lead.
It wasn’t until he directed a 78-yard, eight-play drive in the final two minutes of the first half that he was satisfied, according to Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
“Honestly, I was disappointed until that last drive,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t think we had a great rhythm, but I’m happy the way it ended and glad we got that touchdown. It turned out to be a pretty good half for us.”
The Packers went on to roll the Colts 59-24 as Green Bay’s backups poured it on. Now, they’ll coast through the remainder of the preseason, finishing things off with a game at Kansas City on Thursday.
If the NFL awarded an MVP of preseason, it would surely have to go to Rodgers. He’s completed 41 of 53 passes for 470 yards and six touchdowns. That’s in about four quarters of work. He has not turned the ball over. The Packers’ offense looks like a well-oiled machine getting ready for December, not a unit ready to fire it up for real in just more than two weeks.
“He’s a good player,” Peyton Manning said afterward. “He had a really good year last year. He’s got a lot of weapons. They really do some things that play to his strengths: his ability to move out of the pocket, throw on the run and throw the ball deep down the field really, really well.”
No one would be surprised if these two teams wind up meeting again in Dallas. Rodgers looks ready to elevate his game and his team to the next level. Starting now.
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