what did you think Aaron Rodgers of his last disappointing performance when o packers lost their fifth straight game on Sunday?

“It was one of my—-“, that was the word he chose with reporters this week when Green Bay fell before Detroit 15-9 and saw his mark drop 3-6 in the 2022 NFL season.

Whether or not the Packers’ campaign amounted to bad, it was definitely unbearable to watch. It must also be hard to accept that, midway through the season, There will be no return to the NFC playoffs and no chance to play in Super Bowl 57.

After winning three straight titles with Rodgers and Coach Matt Lafleur (13-3, 13-3 and 13-4 from 2019 to 2021), the best the Packers can finish right now is 11-6. They are buried in second place in the NFC North, tied with the Bears (3-6), who they beat in Week 2.

With the loss at Lions (2-6) and with Vikings (7-1), the division-leading Packers, who clashed with Washington for their sixth straight win, are now 4 1/2 games out of first place. There is no doubt that the lowest point came in Detroit. they failed to reach double-digit points on the road against what might be the worst defense in the league.

Rodgers, for the first time in his career, threw two interceptions in the red zone and a third outside the Lions’ 20-yard line. The first interception was deflected off the helmet on the first down. The second occurred while Rodgers was targeting left tackle David Bakhtiari on a fourth-down play. Instead of rolling the Lions like it used to, the game ended his latest dysfunctional masterpiece.

AARON RODGERS DID ANOTHER GOAL LINE INSIDE 😳

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/Y7YGWo7tD7

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 6, 2022

Now Green Bay is where it was the past two seasons under Mike McCarthy. The Packers have missed the playoffs in back-to-back years. Rodgers last had a three-hit game in 2017. His team went 6-9-1 in 2018, the year before LaFleur was hired.

There is no doubt that Rodgers has not played close to his MVP in back-to-back seasons (2020 and 2021). Not only did he lose wide receivers Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but injuries have greatly affected the fledgling passing game.. The Corridor Aaron Jones and promising catcher to rookie romeo doubHe was injured this Sunday.

David Bakhtiari he had trouble staying healthy. The noob Christian Watson and the primary recipient Allen Lazard they have just returned from short-term illnesses. Lazard and the tight end Robert Tonian wasted time before. Randall Cobb He remains on the disabled list.

The injury bug has bitten the defense as well. the linebacker DeVondre Campbell was low last week, and the edge rusher Rashan Gary and the angle Eric Stoke They left this week.

But all teams have serious injuries. The explosives he has several significant losses and is still 5-3. The jets They have taken a lot of hits and are 6-3. The 49 years oldbadly beaten, heading into the playoffs after surviving 4-4 ​​heading into a much-needed bye week.

These teams have changed styles to keep winning. largeThe Packers don’t, despite their high level of talent.

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Rodgers had to back up and run a total of 48 times in a close game most of Sunday. The Packers ran Jones and AJ Dillon a total of 21 times. They abandoned notions of a run-centric game plan long before Jones got hurt. They didn’t adjust to the fact that their defense was playing its best game in weeks against a potent Lions offense.

That’s LaFleur’s fault for not realizing that his team is much more limited than it has been in years and has been all season. Both he and Rodgers have proclaimed that they play well with what they have, but those players haven’t been put in the best positions to succeed.

The Packers have played bad complementary football. After putting up a fight against mighty Buffalo due to their running game and balanced approach, It was ridiculous to avoid a similar scheme against a team that had been grounded all season.

It’s not just the overall offensive philosophy, but also the odd personnel decisions. Consider the second fumble in the red zone that ended in an interception by Rodgers. Dillon, not the more versatile Jones, was the better player. Then came a rare forcing of the ball to Bakhtiari, rather than, say, looking for Tonian against a team that gives tight ends.

The Lions survived to win, but the Packers handed them the game early by creating adversity for themselves and ultimately digging themselves a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

LaFleur has been a top coach, but it has lost its momentum. He and Rodgers were the best at lifting the team with smart decisions. Instead, stupid mistakes were made that led to bad results.

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When the Packers won their only ring with Rodgers, in Super Bowl 45 after the 2010 season, they were the last wild card and then the number six seed in the NFC. This team coached by McCarthy, plagued by injuries, barely made it 10-6, but then went on a special run, fueled by Rodgers, with the defense also raising its game. They were 6-3 after Week 9 and in no danger of missing the playoffs behind the NFC North winner Bears.

A dozen years later, with a much older Rodgers, this team doesn’t feel the same. These Packers are in a rare free fall and are not ready to come back from so many setbacks.

Forget about winning the North from the Vikings. For the Packers to make the playoffs, they will have to be near perfect the rest of the way. This will be almost impossible with games against the Cowboys, Titans, Eagles, Rams, Dolphins and Vikings remaining on the schedule.

The Sporting News picked the Packers to win Super Bowl 57 by believing in a late run from Rodgers and LaFleur. Given the drop in product they’ve delivered this season, they’re well past their cap deadline to make the playoffs.