National Football League

Green Bay Packers: What' with Aaron Rodgers these days?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Green Bay Packers offense looked subpar again in their 17-14 loss against NFC North foes the Minnesota Vikings. But, is it time to panic?

Aaron Rodgers was outplayed by Vikings’ quarterback Sam Bradford, something nobody expected to happen on Sunday night. The two-time MVP only completed 20-of 36 passes for 213 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Furthermore, he had a quarterback rating (QBR) of 52.5. This was Rodgers’ 14th straight week with a QBR of under 100.

What was most alarming in the loss was his carelessness. Along with the one interception, he fumbled three times (one lost). His sense of awareness and pocket presence is nowhere to be found.

Oct 26, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Green Bay Packers inside linebacker A.J. Hawk (50) against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

A former Super Bowl champion, whom many consider as one of the best quarterbacks, if not the best quarterback in the league, has lost his touch and swagger.

Interestingly enough, one of Rodgers’ former teammates, A.J. Hawk believes there is nothing wrong with the quarterback.

“As far as he goes and what he does and how he approaches everything, no I don’t see anything different from what he’s doing,” Hawk told Damon Amendolara on CBS Sports Radio. “But I think every year it builds and it builds, the good thing and the bad things that will be said about his game. I can’t point to one thing, but yeah, obviously last year Tom Clements returned the play-calling duties over to him early on in the season, and I think Coach McCarthy took it back after six or seven games. I don’t think that had a whole to do with it. I think they just have to figure out how to get on the same page.”

Rodgers and McCarthy’s relationship has been scrutinized. At times there seems to be a disconnect on the sidelines but, Hawk vows their relationship is perfectly fine.

“Aaron and Coach McCarthy, they have a great relationship,” Hawk said on CBS Sports Radio’s DA Show. “I think their communication is second to none, how they can go back and forth with each other and what they’re seeing out there.”

If one thing is certain and there is some type of rift between the quarterback and coach, it will be McCarthy looking for a new job before Rodgers.

Despite it all, Rodgers continues to stay calm.

“Well, we’re not going to overact,” Rodgers told the media after Sunday’s loss. “It’s been two weeks. We’ve been not quite finding our rhythm yet, but we’ve got some guys working in that haven’t worked together a whole lot. So we’re going to trust the process and believe we can get this thing turned around.”

Last season, the excuse was Jordy Nelson is injured and that explains why the offense is struggling. This year, Nelson is back after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament and things still don’t seem right.

But this season, there are no excuses. If the Packers want to be considered a Super Bowl contender, the offense needs to wake up. More importantly, Rodgers needs to wake up. And if that doesn’t happen, it’s just another wasted season.

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