Winning Division Is ‘Really Sweet’ to Rodgers

MINNEAPOLIS – Clinching playoff spots and winning division championships used to be typical stuff for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. From 2009 through 2016, Rodgers led the Green Bay Packers to eight consecutive playoff berths, including one Super Bowl win and two other trips to the NFC Championship Game.

Then came 2017, when Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone at Minnesota and the season went off the rails. Then came 2018, when Rodgers played through a knee injury but the Packers lost one game after another.

The Packers clinched a playoff berth last week but, with a 23-10 victory over the Vikings on Monday night that wrapped up the NFC North, they officially showed the football world they are legitimate championship contenders and not just a paper tiger with a pretty record.

“Feels great to win these kind of games. These are playoff-style games,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, we’re both going to the playoffs but to be back on top of the North after a couple years of being down feels great. To be in this stadium where a couple years ago I was jeered leaving the field after (breaking) my collarbone feels pretty good.”

More than pretty good. About 15 minutes after addressing the media, Rodgers walked back out onto the field where he was greeted by a hundred-or-so fans who had congregated by the visitors’ tunnel. They serenaded him with a “Go Pack Go” chant.

“It’s really sweet to celebrate in the locker room with those guys,” Rodgers said. “A lot of guys weren’t here in ’16 the last time we got to put these hats on. That was a sweet run, winning six in a row to finish it off in Detroit. But there’s really nothing like checking that first box on the goal list, winning your division. Obviously, it secures a home playoff game and now we’re playing for even more coming up next week.”

The Packers will clinch a first-round bye with a victory over the 3-11-1 Lions in Detroit in the final game of the regular season -- or if the Saints lose at Carolina. They would jump up to the No. 1 seed and home field throughout the NFC playoffs with a victory in Detroit combined with the Seahawks beating the 49ers in the NFC West championship game in Seattle.

The win was Green Bay’s fourth victory in a row. Following the past two, at home against Washington and Chicago, Rodgers spoke with a subdued demeanor. The offense hadn’t been sharp and the Packers had to withstand fourth-quarter comebacks by lesser teams to earn victories.

On Monday night, the offense wasn’t sharp during the opening 30 minutes. The Packers turned over the ball three times in the first half. A botched third-down screen ruined a chance to score one touchdown, and a bad fumble and wasted timeout kept them from scoring at the end of the first half.

By the end of the night, Rodgers was 26-of-40 passing for 216 yards. He failed to throw a touchdown pass, saw his interception-free streak end at 277 consecutive attempts and had precious few completions more than a few yards past the line of scrimmage. But the team, as it has done a dozen times this season, found a way to win. On this night, it was a smothering defense, a lot of yards after the catch and two big plays – an interception and 39-yard return by Kevin King to set up the Packers first touchdown and a clinching 56-yard touchdown run by Aaron Jones.

After the Washington game, Rodgers said he wouldn’t mind winning ugly all the way to the Super Bowl. This one, in Rodgers’ eyes, was mostly a thing of beauty as Green Bay handed Minnesota its first home loss of the season.

“I don’t mind as long as we’re winning,” Rodgers said. “People in your position, obviously you have a job to do, you’re writing stories, but there’s a lot of emphasis on looking pretty or dominating in a way that befits your explanation. But I thought it was a really good performance for us. We had good balance, we ran the ball well, we just turned it over three times. But it doesn’t matter how we get it done as long as we get it done. In games where our defense isn’t as locked down as they are now, we’ve got to find ways to put points on the board. There’s going to be a time when we need to make those plays, and I expect to.”

Rodgers has positioned himself to get his second Lombardi Trophy. The longer the Packers can remain in Green Bay for the playoffs the better chance they have to finish the season in Miami in Super Bowl LIV.

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