Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – With Aaron Rodgers winning the 2020 NFL MVP, the Packers as a franchise have now won nine MVPs since the advent of the Associated Press award in 1957.
But which of the nine was the best season? Who's the MVP of the MVPs?
Packers.com is letting the fans choose via a weekly series that began with the three Lombardi-era MVPs, continued with Brett Favre's three honors, and now features a vote on Rodgers' three.
Next week the three weekly winners will be pitted against one another for a final vote.
So let's continue. Here's a rundown of Rodgers' three MVP seasons. All statistics are regular season only. Vote for your favorite in the poll at the bottom.
Coming off winning the Super Bowl MVP the previous February, Rodgers had what only can be described as a monster season. The big number was his 122.5 passer rating, which set an NFL single-season record, topping Peyton Manning's previous mark of 121.4 from 2004.
He also threw for a career-high and franchise-record 4,634 passing yards in just 15 games, as Rodgers sat out the regular-season finale with the Packers already having clinched the NFC's No. 1 seed for the playoffs with a 14-1 record prior to Week 17.
It marked the only time in his career Rodgers has averaged more than 300 passing yards per game for an entire season (309.5), and his 68.3% completion rate (343-of-502) and 45 TD passes both stood as career highs and franchise records until this past season. He threw just six interceptions.
On the season, Rodgers led the Packers to 560 points, which broke the previous franchise record at the time by 99 points (461 in 2009). He threw for four or more TD passes five times and even had two rushing TDs in a game. His passer rating was 106 or better in 13 of 15 games, and was north of 130 six times, including three straight games at one stretch.
This MVP season was Rodgers' least dynamic statistically of the three (341-of-520, 65.6%, 4,381 yards, 38 TDs, five INTs, 112.2 rating), but it's splitting hairs a bit. The Packers were a big-play offense, with Rodgers tying for the league lead with 15 completions of 40 yards or more. He also led the league with three TD passes of 70-plus yards.
The story of this MVP season, though, was its dramatic, clutch moments that produced a 12-4 season and trip to the NFC title game.
Rodgers brought the Packers back from a 21-3 deficit against the Jets in Week 2 for a 31-24 triumph. He told the fans to "R-E-L-A-X" about the offense after the team's 1-2 start and then went out and posted a 151.2 passer rating (22-of-28, 302 yards, four TDs) in Week 4 at Chicago.
He threw a last-second TD pass to Andrew Quarless – after a fake-spike completion to Davante Adams got the ball inside the 5-yard line – to complete a 27-24 comeback win at Miami. He threw a franchise-record six TD passes (all in the first half) of another blowout win over the Bears.
Then the capper came in Week 17 at Lambeau Field against Detroit, with the Packers needing a win to take the NFC North title and secure a first-round playoff bye.
Rodgers exited the game in the second quarter on a TD pass to Randall Cobb after reaggravating a calf injury from the previous week at Tampa Bay. When he re-emerged from the tunnel during the second half, after the Lions had rallied from a 14-0 deficit to catch up, the Lambeau crowd was chanting "M-V-P! M-V-P!" at the top of its lungs. He returned to the game and directed two TD drives to get Green Bay the important victory.
In just his second year in Head Coach Matt LaFleur's offensive system, Rodgers returned to MVP form.
He set personal bests as well as franchise records in both TD passes (48) and completion percentage (70.7). He also led the league in passer rating (121.5) and interception percentage (1.0), becoming the first QB to lead the NFL in all four of those categories in the same season since Steve Young in 1994.
The 121.5 passer rating fell just short of his NFL record from 2011, but he now holds the top two single-season marks in league history.
For the second straight year, Rodgers led the Packers to a 13-3 record – this time earning the NFC's No. 1 seed – and another appearance in the NFC Championship Game. His passer rating was 107 or better in 14 of 16 games, and 120 or more 10 of those times.