Getty Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers faced tough questions and even tougher criticism following a historically bad performance in a devastating loss to the Detroit Lions Sunday.
November 6 marked the date that Rodgers did two things he’d never done before in nearly 20 years of professional football — tossed three interceptions, two of which came inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. The quarterback spoke to those catastrophic mistakes during the postgame press conference.
“I had some sh***y throws, for sure,” Rodgers said. “We moved the ball well in the first half, and I threw a couple picks in the end zone — took points off the board. So, that obviously came back to hurt us down the stretch.”
“I played sh***y, but I never gave up,” Rodgers continued. “Obviously, I don’t want to lead us in rushing [yards], but I knew I was gonna have to make some plays with my legs. Moving forward, I’m going to have to keep doing things like that.”
Rodgers added that two of the three interceptions he threw came down to poor execution on his part, one coming after a deflection off of a player’s helmet and another occurring due to poor balance resulting in an under-thrown pass. The QB credited the Lions’ defense with making a strong play on a decent pass attempt, which he said resulted in a third interception.
Rodgers’ Demeanor, Retirement Choice Questioned After Packers Lose 5th Straight
GettyQB Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers rolls out of the pocket during the second half of a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 6, 2022, in Detroit, Michigan.
Also following the game, a reporter questioned Rodgers’ desire to be on the field at all during his team’s five-game losing streak, asserting that the quarterback appeared to be “miserable” on Sunday.
That assertion was followed by a question as to whether Rodgers regretted not retiring this offseason, something he mentioned doing before signing an extension that afforded him the richest annual salary in NFL history at more than $50 million per year.
“I think that’s an exaggeration,” Rodgers said of the interpretation that he gave off a vibe of being miserable against the Lions. “Frustration and miserability are two different emotions. So when I decided to comeback, I was all in. I don’t make decisions and then hindsight 20/20, you know, have regrets about big decisions like that.”
Several fans sharing in the frustration of Green Bay’s precipitous decline in 2022 flocked to Twitter after the game, calling for Rodgers to retire and suggesting that he is “washed.” While the QB has struggled this season, Rodgers is a four-time league MVP and has won the award each of the previous two years.
Matt LaFleur Said Packers Never Considered Removing Rodgers From Game
GettyQB Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers looks on during the first quarter of a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 6, 2022, in Detroit, Michigan.
Despite Rodgers’ struggles on Sunday — and the team’s difficulty scoring the entire season, averaging just over 17 points per game — Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said flatly that he never considered making a change at quarterback to backup Jordan Love.
LaFleur did, however, speak plainly about the number of mistakes the offense made, which can be interpreted as a critique of Rodgers’ play.
“[We are] making way too many critical mistakes,” LaFleur said. “When you do that, I don’t care who you’re playing in this league, you’re gonna get beat.”
“Credit to Detroit — they dared us to throw the football,” he continued. “We’ve gotta do something different obviously, because we’re not throwing and catching to the level that is conducive to winning football games.”