Six weeks into the 2022 NFL season, Aaron Rodgers and the Packersalready find themselves in a tough spot. Following a shocking defeat to the Giants in London, Green Bay suffered its second loss in a row at the hands of the Jets on Sunday.
That has raised doubts around Matt LaFleur‘s team early in the season, with the Packers trailing the Vikings (5-1) in the NFC North with a3-3 record. As the starting quarterback and face of the team, Rodgers has obviously expressed hisfeelings about it.
The four-time NFL MVP addressed the Packers’offensive problems, saying they need to keep it simple when things are not going according to plan. LaFleur later said he didn’t know what Rodgers meant by that, but the veteran quarterback said it was more of a message tohis teammates than to the coaching staff.
Aaron Rodgers sent a message to Packers teammates, not to Matt LaFleur
“The point was if we’re not executing those plans, which to be honest they’re not the most complex things the majority of the time, then the only slight reaction might be to even simplify things even further,“ Rodgers saidon the Pat McAfee Show, via Christopher Kuhagen of USA Today. “That doesn’t mean less motions or checks at the line of scrimmage. It just means let’s make sure these guys can handle what we’re doing.
“It was really an alert for our players. We need to lock in a little bit more and simplify things in our own mind. Even the most complex plays can be simplified in our mind. We just need to be better in the details. The details have not been good enough.“
This is one of the most challenging years for Rodgers in a long time, having lost key weapons in the offseason with the departures ofDavante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Aaron Rodgers confident Packers willbounce back
However, Rodgers is still optimistic about his team this year. For him, the Packers have enough time to turn things around and prove the doubters wrong. But of course, they’ll need to improve their performances.
“If you looked in the preseason in the NFC, four teams (were) for sure in the conversation: San Fran, LA, Tampa and us. … All four of us are 3-3,” Rodgers said. “Iwouldn’t expect any panic in those places. … There’sa lot of football left. Obviously we’ve got to play better.“
