The Packers took one of the chin today. Not much went right in a 23-7 loss to the Vikings. The execution especially on offense was not good. While Aaron Rodgers looked very frustrated on the field today, he was surprisingly calm in the postgame interview.
Rodgers Laments Missed Opportunities
Aaron Rodgers: “I don’t like to play the what-if game, but games usually come down to a few plays here and there.”
He obviously mentioned Watson’s drop on the first play but also said he should have kept it and run on the goal-line and called his INT “a dumb decision by me.” pic.twitter.com/SLaMCojrDn
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 12, 2022
Missed opportunities was the phrase of the day for the Packers offense. On the first play of the game, Rodgers threw a beautiful ball to rookie Christian Watson. Watson beat his man and would’ve have been gone for a 75 yard touchdown. Except he dropped it. On another drive down 10-0, AJ Dillon could not punch it in on 4th and goal from the 1. Rodgers said this one was on him as he should’ve pulled it walked it into the end zone. If either one of those plays results in a score, the game looks completely different.
Rodgers Talks Patience With Young Receivers
“We gotta have patience with those guys, they’re young,” says Aaron Rodgers of the Packers’ rookie receivers. He adds that patience will be thinner as the season goes along. “There’s going to be drops. Hate to see it on the first play, but there’s going to be drops.”
— zach jacobson (@itszacharyj) September 12, 2022
The drops from the young receivers have been a topic of conversation throughout training camp. Rodgers expressed the need to be patient with the young receivers early in the season. He admitted that as the season wears on, the patience will be thinner. Rodgers knows that this is a long season. Last year week 1 was a debacle and the Packers recovered. While Rodgers was preaching patience in the postgame interview, during the game it did not seem like he was being patient.
Rodgers Clearly Heated During The Game
It was a topic of conversation on the broadcast. Rodgers was clearly frustrated with his receivers. The drops were there but also some wrong route as well. This might be a case of Rodgers being frustrated in the moment and then calming down once the game ends. However, it was surprising to see Rodgers so calm with how frustrated he was during the game. It’ll be interesting to see how long this patience lasts.
Rodgers admitted that he needs to be better. His interception was forced and he made a wrong decision on the 4th and goal. The first game is behind them and in the second half the Packers looked like they were finding their rhythm. Week 2 is another divisional game against the Bears. After hearing Aaron Rodgers’ postgame interview, I expect him to be eager to prove that this week was just a small bump in the road.
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