Aaron Rodgers Leads Packers to Victory Against Panthers, But He's Not Happy

The Green Bay Packers defeated the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night, reaching a record of 11-3 and remaining in contention for home playoff games. Aaron Rodgers had another productive game with two total touchdowns, but he was not happy at the end of the day. He expressed frustration with the offense.

"Tonight, we had a couple of good quarters and a couple stinkers," Rodgers said at the beginning of his postgame press conference. "That's just not consistent, winning football." The Packers started the game strong with three touchdown drives but struggled during the second half with a variety of mistakes. They started out with a 21-3 lead but only won the game 24-16.

"We just know that type of football in the second half [is] not gonna get it done in the playoffs," Rodgers continued. "That's where we're going." The Packers already secured a playoff berth by winning the NFC North, but that is only one step in the journey. The team also has to remain ahead of the New Orleans Saints in order to achieve a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the entire postseason.

Rodgers has been one of the NFL's best quarterbacks during the 2020 season. He has thrown 40 touchdown passes with only four interceptions. He also rushed for another score on Saturday. Despite his early-season success, Rodgers was unable to connect with his favorite target against the Panthers. Star receiver Davante Adams only had seven catches for 42 yards and failed to score a touchdown.

"We gotta keep finding ways to get him the ball because he's just so dynamic," Rodgers said about Adams. "And we'll look at all of it. It is frustrating, but we're 11-3, we won the game. That's a good problem to have."

While he has won a Lombardi Trophy in his career, Rodgers has also seen promising teams struggle to capitalize on an opportunity. One example is the 2011 season. The Packers achieved a 15-1 regular-season record and secured a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Once the NFC North champions reached the divisional round of the playoffs, however, they struggled mightily. The team hosted the New York Giants at Lambeau Field but lost 37-20. The wide receivers dropped a total of nine passes while the offense lost three fumbles. Rodgers played well overall while throwing two touchdowns — although he also threw an interception in garbage time. The Super Bowl favorites suffered an early exit from the playoffs and became known as "one of the most disappointing" playoff teams.