The Green Bay Packers were utterly embarrassed in the NFC Championship on Sunday. They trailed 27-0 at halftime and lost 37-20, as Raheem Mostert rushed 29 times for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Jimmy Garoppolo, who finished 6-of-8 for 77 yards, was a glorified handoff machine.
Packers legend LeRoy Butler couldn’t believe it,
“Their quarterback . . . basically didn’t throw a pass for an hour,” Butler said on Tiki & Tierney. “As a defensive guy, I just think it’s embarrassing that you can’t stop a running back that’s a backup. He’s not even a starter. It just didn’t go well.”
Butler knew that the Packers fell to the 49ers, 37-8, in November. Still, he thought that Aaron Rodgers’ experience would be the difference this time around.
Nope.
Rodgers finished 31-of-39 for 326 yards and two touchdowns, but most of that came in garbage time. He also threw two picks, fumbled three times (lost one) and was sacked three times.
Is it possible that Father Time is catching up with the 36-year-old?
“The physical part of it, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Butler said. “Your skills will diminish at some point. But the mental decision-making is something that should never leave any player. The one thing you could hang your hat on was Aaron Rodgers would not throw interceptions, would not turn the ball over. But with this particular team, he’s turned the ball over quite a bit. You can’t turn the ball over on the road. You just can’t do it.”
Many criticized Rodgers for his body language Sunday. He didn’t look confident, and he didn’t say much. It was a bad look.
“A lot of people were saying that,” Butler said. “Even when you see Mahomes when they were down 24-0, you saw him trying to rally the troops. Aaron is just not one of those type of guys to do that, so he tried to stay consistent. As players, we just want you to play. . . . But I think what people want is that leadership quality. Even when it’s bad, make it sound good. That’s what younger players look for. They look for leadership and guidance.”
On the flip side, the Niners rushed 42 times for 285 yards (6.8 yards per carry). All the Rodgers’ rah-rah in the world can’t solve that.
“Neither quarterback was a factor,” Butler said. “The Packers should have made it to where Jimmy Garoppolo was the hero, not Mostert. He shouldn’t have been the hero. The hero should have been whether or not Jimmy Garoppolo put up [huge] numbers or he throws four picks. That should have been the pressure. The guy threw it eight times. Other than Tannehill, I didn’t think that was even possible.”