Cal in NFL: Aaron Rodgers Reaches Another Milestone

Former Cal star Aaron Rodgers had just a so-so game by his standards in the Packers’ 27-17 victory over the Steelers on Sunday, but he reached another milestone.

Rodgers threw his 420th career touchdown pass, which tied Dan Marino for the sixth-most in NFL history. He needs just one more TD pass to match Philip Rivers for fifth place on that list.

That's 2️⃣ TDs for @rcobb18 today!@AaronRodgers12 now has 420 TD passes, tying Dan Marino for sixth-most in NFL history.#PITvsGB | #GoPackGo

📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/ChHXl2JBZH
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 3, 2021

Rodgers finished the game 20-for-36 for 248 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 95.6 passer rating, which is below his career passer rating of 103.9 entering the game.

Other former Cal players did some good things Sunday:

Jared Goff, Lions quarterback: Fumbling has been an issue for Goff during his NFL career, and it was an issue again in Sunday’s 24-14 loss to the Bears. He lost two fumbles, and both turnovers occurred when Detroit was about to score.

His first fumble came in the first quarter after the Lions had a first-and-goal at the Bears’ 7-yard line. His second fumble occurred when late in the second quarter when Detroit had a third-and-goal at the Chicago 3-yard line.

Late in the third quarter, with Detroit down by 10 points, Goff threw an incompletion on a fourth-and-1 play from the Bears’ 8-yard line.

Statistically, Goff was pretty good, completing 24-of-38 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 105.0 passer rating. But he was also sacked four times and had those two costly turnovers.

Both of Goff's TD passes were to Kalif Raymond, including this 25-yarder:

.@jaredgoff16 on 🎯 to Kalif Raymond for another TD!#DETvsCHI | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/27HiBew5Hy
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 3, 2021

Cameron Jordan, Saints defensive end: Jordan made his 149th consecutive start, the second-longest active streak in the NFL, and he registered four tackles and a quarterback hurry in New Orleans’ 27-21 overtime loss to the Giants. He has yet to record a sack this season, which is unusual. He had double-digit sacks in five of his 10 previous seasons, and recorded 15.5 sacks in 2019.

Ashtyn Davis, Jets safety: Davis made his 2021 debut in New York’s 27-24 upset of the Titans. Davis was not in the starting lineup, but he played and recorded three solo tackles. He played 38 plays on defense and nine on special teams. Davis had missed all of the preseason as well as the first three games of the regular season while recovering from a foot injury sustained last season.

DeSean Jackson, Rams wide receiver: Jackson had just one catch for 6 yards as the Rams suffered their first defeat, 37-20, to the Cardinals. For the season,he has six catches for 147 yards.

Bryan Anger, Cowboys punter: Anger punted four times in Dallas’ 36-28 win over Carolina and averaged 47.5 yards with two punts stopping inside the 20-yard line and a long of 63 yards.

Marvin Jones Jr., Jaguars wide receiver: Jones was not officially a starter on Thursday for Jacksonville, which started two tight ends, but he was on the field for 52 of the Jaguars 56 offensive plays. He had three catches for just 24 yards in a 24-21 loss to the Bengals. For the season, Jones has 20 receptions for 218 yards and two scores for the Jaguars, who are 0-4.

Patrick Mekari, Ravens offensive lineman: Mekari was a starting offensive tackle in the Ravens' 23-7 victory over the Broncos

Alex Mack, 49ers center: Mack was the 49ers starting center again, and San Francisco churned out 143 yards on the ground and allowed two sacks in a 28-21 loss to the Seahawks. Mack left the game briefly because of a hand injury, but he returned later in the game. He played 75 of the team's 76 offensive snaps.

Jake Curhan, Seahawks offensive lineman: Curhan, who made the Seahawks' 53-man roster as a free agent, did not start the game against the 49ers, but he did play. He played eight snaps on offense and four on special teams.

Jaylinn Hawkins, Falcons safety: Hawkins was not a starter in Atlanta’s 34-30 loss to Washington, but he did play and recorded one assisted tackle. He played 16 plays on defense and 23 on special teams.

Camryn Bynum, Vikings safety: Bynum did play in Minnesota’s 14-7 loss to the Browns, but he was not a starter and did not record any statistics. He played 17 plays, all on special teams.

Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wis via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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