NFL MVP Stock Watch, Week 2: Josh Jacobs debuts
By Dustin Baker
2. Aaron Rodgers, QB (Green Bay Packers)
Last Week’s Ranking: Unranked
2020 Stats: 32/44 (72.7% Comp), 364 Passing Yards, 4 Passing TDs, 0 INTs, 127.5 Passer Rating
Jordan Love be damned.
The Packers spent a first-round pick on Rodgers’ replacement last April, and that now looks even odder that it did that night.
Rodgers put on a visceral performance at U.S. Bank Stadium during Week 1 — a building where he had historically struggled by his lofty standards. But not in 2020. The future Hall of Famer looked like the 2014 version of himself. Rodgers was crisp, poised, and near-perfect.
The Packers (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) were even beset by crucial drops early in the contest. Rodgers’ numbers could have looked a little more intimidating if that’s fathomable.
Before Week 1, the Vikings had never allowed an opposing quarterback to throw more than two touchdowns in a regular-season game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Rodgers ripped that feat apart and added a fourth touchdown as an exclamation point.
It’s unclear how soon the Packers front office envisions Jordan Love getting starting reps at the quarterback position. But based on this Rodgers outing, the team should probably shelf the idea for a few years.
Green Bay should have a breezy path to 2-0 ahead of them. They host the Detroit Lions in Week 2 — a notoriously woeful matchup for the cats from Detroit.