LaFleur’s task: Level out Rodgers’ play
First in a 10-part Packers positionanalysis series with grades and biggest needs.
GREEN BAY - Ostensibly, the Green Bay Packers hired Matt LaFleur to not only help bring the team's offense into the modern era but also help Aaron Rodgers maintain a high level of play in his late 30s. In year one of their partnership, the pass game was inconsistent at best but did show flashes of what may be to come with more time together.
The splits were strange for Rodgers. In first quarters he looked like an MVP (71% completions, 9.1 yards per attempt, 123.5 rating) but in quarters 2-4 the numbers plummeted (59.6%, 6.4 yards per attempt, 87.6 rating). He had clutch moments against Kansas City and Seattle, but in the two biggest games of the year in San Francisco he did not play well when it mattered. The mission for
LaFleur going forward will be to level out Rodgers' play — which still can rate with the league's best.
The good
Rodgers was running a new offense for the first time. Teammates said he helped keep the development process a bit smoother for the rest of the players in the huddle and appeared to have meshed with LaFleur. He publicly stated his acceptance of a new role, which often played out on the field as having the passing game take a back seat to the rushing attack.
Rodgers played a full season and in those 16 games often helped the Packers to early leads they rarely relinquished. He also orchestrated two fourth-quarter comebacks and three game-winning drives.
He threw go-ahead touchdowns against Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City and the New York Giants and rushed for one against Oakland.
The bad
The overall inconsistency from Rodgers from game to game.
Every contest had moments of vintage brilliance, but week in and week out, it wasn't always a given that Rodgers would play well. His yards per attempt (7.0), yards per game (250.1) and rating (95.4) were the lowest in a full season since 2015.
And, for some reason, the four games Davante Adams missed were the best Rodgers played — and he couldn't string together another handful of games like that at any other point in the season. He also played a little loose with the ball either on scrambles or in the pocket, leaving it exposed for seven fumbles (including playoffs).
Biggest need
A Brian Gutekunst-drafted option in the room. If the pick is in the first round, his contract can outlast Rodgers. If it is after, it will run concurrently through 2023. In his two years as GM, Gutekunst has traded for DeShone Kizer and brought in undrafted free agents Tim Boyle and Manny Wilkins. With the end of Rodgers' contract in sight, the team should start using some draft capital on a prospect.
Grades
Aaron Rodgers: In the context of his career, 2019 was not one of Rodgers' finest. Within the context of the league, Rodgers remained an above-average passer. He led the league in interception percentage (0.7%), posted his first perfect rating game (vs. Oakland) and finished seventh in the PFF grading system, 11th in yards and 12th in rating. Grade: B
Tim Boyle: The second-year man out of Eastern Kentucky beat out Kizer for the backup job training camp but did not take a meaningful snap in the regular season. Grade: Incomplete