7:03 pm | November 4, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — This is why the NFL needs more Aaron Rodgers–Tom Brady matchups.
The second-ever meeting between the best two quarterbacks of their generation couldn’t possibly live up to the hype that came in advance of such a rare occasion.
And it didn’t, at least from the Green Bay Packers‘ perspective.
The biggest downer of Rodgers’ career — other than owning just a lone Super Bowl title, of course — might be the absence of a regular quarterback rival like Brady. And if they don’t play in a Super Bowl, their next scheduled meeting won’t come until 2022. Brady, if he’s still playing (and still with the Patriots), would be 45 years old.
Rodgers won in his only previous start against Brady — 26-21 at Lambeau Field in 2014 in receiver Davante Adams‘ coming out party as a rookie. Four years later, Brady got his revenge in the form of a 31-17 victory on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
Not that he needed it.
Not with five Super Bowl titles to Rodgers’ one — a fact that Rodgers himself admitted last week should settle the greatest-of-all-time (or at least the greatest-of-this-time) argument.
“He’s got five championships, so that ends most discussions, I think,” Rodgers said last week.
In a game that featured the contrasting — yet successful — styles of the two quarterbacks, Rodgers hit on a variety of deep balls. Most often, those went to the Packers’ newest offensive weapon, rookie receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who went over 100 yards on just his third catch of the game. Meanwhile, Brady showed he’s the master of quick, precise throws from within the pocket, taking what Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine gave him.
Yet the Patriots’ most impactful pass play of the night didn’t come from Brady but Julian Edelman, who threw to James White for 37 yards on a double-pass trick play to the Green Bay 2. That set up a White rushing touchdown that put the Patriots ahead 24-17 in the fourth quarter.
That followed an Aaron Jones fumble took the ball out of Rodgers’ hands after he hit consecutive throws of 24 and 26 yards to Valdes-Scantling on the final two plays of the third quarter. Rodgers started the second half with a 51-yard bomb to Valdes-Scantling that led to a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham that tied the game at 17-17.
It was mundane football from Rodgers before that: 15 passes in the first quarter — his most in a first quarter in the last two seasons — yet the Packers managed just three points. They had 42 offensive plays in the first half yet only 10 points and a touchdown deficit. That was after they ran only 52 offensive plays the previous week against the Rams and scored 27 points.
It wasn’t Saints-Rams from earlier Sunday or Patriots-Chiefs from earlier in the season.
And for the NFL’s sake, that was too bad.
With a 3-4-1 record at the midway point of the season, the Packers don’t look like a playoff team — which means there won’t be another Rodgers-Brady matchup anytime soon, if ever again.
Powered by WPeMatico