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Aaron Rodgers looks all-in for Green Bay Packers after win vs. San Francisco 49ers
Aaron Rodgers' celebration said it all.
Crouched nervously on the Green Bay Packers' sideline as kicker Mason Crosby lined up a game-winning kick, the 37-year-old Rodgers shot up like a bottle rocket when the 51-yard attempt sailed through the uprights as time expired at Levi's Stadium.
"Yeah, baby!" Rodgers was heard yelling as he embraced other Packers on the sideline after their 30-28 victory.
How the Packers got into position to come away with a win was nothing short of remarkable.
Sporting a 17-0 lead at one point in the first half, Green Bay allowed San Francisco to climb all the way back within 17-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
The two squads traded punches down the stretch, with the Niners striking what seemed like the fatal blow when Jimmy Garoppolo hit fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 12-yard touchdown to take a 28-27 lead with 37 seconds left in the game.
Out of timeouts, the Packers were in deep. But Rodgers was unflappable, completing a 25-yard pass to the deep middle of the field to Davante Adams before spiking the ball with 20 seconds remaining.
After an incompletion intended for Adams on the subsequent play, Rodgers again went to his superstar wideout with 16 seconds on the clock, hitting Adams for a 17-yard pass to get the Packers to San Francisco's 33-yard line.
With time ticking away, Rodgers ran up and spiked the ball again, leaving three seconds on the clock.
He had done his part, and he knew it, pumping his fist as Crosby and the field-goal unit took the stage for the game-winning kick.
The kick was pure as can be, too.
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Cue Rodgers' reveling on the sideline.
As Shannon Sharpe put it on Monday's episode of "Undisputed," Rodgers played "sensational" against the Niners.
"When Aaron Rodgers needed to be fantastic — and he needed to be fantastic, with 37 seconds left on the clock — … my guy did [it]," Sharpe said.
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Shannon Sharpe on Packers' comeback win vs. 49ers: When Aaron Rodgers needed to be fantastic, he was I UNDISPUTED
Rodgers finished the game 23-for-33 — a 69.7% completion rate — for 261 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 113.3.
That sensational play carried on in his postgame interviews, in which he beamed and asked NBC's Michele Tafoya, "How can you not be romantic about football?"
"I feel good about our team," Rodgers also said, via the Associated Press. "Week 1 was an anomaly. I said that, and I believe that. We bounced back Week 2. Played a great team tonight right down to the wire. This plane ride is going to feel incredible."
It was a far cry from where Rodgers stood — and sounded — after Week 1's 38-3 blowout loss against the New Orleans Saints.
Even after rebounding in Week 2 to beat the Detroit Lions 35-17, Rodgers was cagey with the media. At the time, he called out the "trolls" who, among other things, seemingly questioned Rodgers' dedication to the Packers following a dramatic offseason.
But Chris Broussard of "First Things First" said those critics, himself included, actually deserve some credit for lighting a fire in Rodgers' belly.
"I think I, and many other media members, played a role in bringing Aaron Rodgers back," Broussard said. "He loves the criticism. He feeds off it. He needs something, somebody to motivate him. … ‘I’ve gotta put a chip on my shoulder and prove you guys wrong and shut you guys up.' … I was willing to go out there and be critical of Aaron Rodgers. … You're welcome, Aaron."
Chris Broussard: Aaron Rodgers is back after Packers' thrilling win over 49ers I FIRST THINGS FIRST
Rodgers couldn't have picked a better team to beat to flip the narrative of his investment in the Packers this season, either.
The 49ers were one of the teams to call about Rodgers' availability this offseason. They were swiftly rebuffed, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said, but they seemed one of the likeliest destinations for a number of reasons.
For one, Rodgers is from Northern California — Chico, to be exact — and played college football in the Bay Area at Cal.
The prospect of playing for his hometown team, even though they passed over him in the 2005 NFL Draft, reportedly caught Rodgers' attention, too.
For now, the Green Bay QB seems content to play in the Bay Area as a visiting, and winning, quarterback.
That's something that should have Packers fans jumping for joy.
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