Aaron Rodgers Delivers Another MVP Performance
Against the Vikings, Aaron Rodgers put the finishing touches on a 2021 season that SHOULD lead to his 4th MVP trophy. All the traits that have made him the best quarterback in the NFL since he became a starter in 2008 were on full display throughout the night.
Some of his throws, especially early in the game, were simply ridiculous:
The ball placement on that throw was outstanding. That might have seemed like a forced pass given the two defenders accounting for Davante Adams. But Rodgers goes by the rule that most great quarterbacks do: defender’s back turned = open. That’s what he saw from the cornerback to that side. All Rodgers had to do was make the throw to beat the coverage (basically not hit the cornerback in the back of the head) and keep Adams away from the safety.
It also didn’t hurt that Adams waited until the split-second before the ball reached him to snag it out of the air, preventing the cornerback from being able to time his play on the ball:
I’ve been on a “late hands” kick recently. Apologies.
This throw on 3rd-and-3 was even better. Davante Adams was running a slot fade:
As Peyton Manning likes to say, a slot-fade should be thrown about 4 yards from the sideline. Let’s see how close Rodgers was from the end zone angle: