By: Jake Rajala

The four-time MVP & potential Led Zeppelin stan, Aaron Rodgers, is battling the darkhorse Super Bowl contender in the Dallas Cowboys in Lambeau today. The frozen tundra will witness A-Rod attempting to revive his 3-6 squad & his less-than-productive season (14 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and an 89 QBR). His 89 QBR is a career-low in a 16-game season. Yes, you read that correctly. Given Rodger’s struggles, Jason La Canfora questioned if the Pack should consider benching Rodgers in an article for the Washington Post.

It may seem like it can’t be a coincidence that Rodgers is struggling at the age of 38. Of course, the NFL is laying eyes on Matt Ryan (37 years old) and Tom Brady (45 years old) also looking less than scary in 2022. I do believe that TB12, who is the same age as John Cena, is partially slowing down due to his age.

With that said, I don’t really blame A-Rod for his 2022-2023 outcome. The Packers were hardly aggressive to acquire fresh talent for Rodgers this prior off-season. Strangely, the Packers tried and failed to make a last-ditch effort to help their field general at the trade deadline. It seems puzzling that they felt Rodgers could win a Super Bowl ring this season with a WR group that is less prominent than the Colts WR room.

It may be fun to poke at the eccentric, somewhat egocentric Packers QB1, but I think he deserves to still be regarded as a Top-5 QB of all time. I honestly believe his modern-day struggles are largely due to his lack of weaponry — which failed to shine without Davante Adams — who was third in targets last season and first in targets in 2020.

If Lamar can’t link up with Sean Payton next season, it may be in Rodgers’s best interest to hook up with the offensive, creative, genius (assuming Rodgers plays beyond 2022). It’s not disputed that Rodgers is given pedestrian ammunition in Alcatraz, also known as Green Bay. A-Rod failed to throw more than 30 touchdowns in 2018 and 2019, yet he managed to crank up the heat by winning MVP in 2020 & 2021. I still believe in Rodger’s arm ability, charisma, and awareness in the right situation — which doesn’t appear to be in Titletown.

The post Is Aaron Rodgers overrated? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Fantasy Football world is nearly as breathtaking as the artificial space station in Treasure Planet. However, there is an abundance of signal-callers that haven’t lived up to the hype at this moment. With that said, I’m going to untwine five overrated QBs in fantasy. Let’s begin.

A-Rod

The Green Bay Packers two-time reigning MVP QB Aaron Rodgers has been a shell of his once self. He has failed to throw more than three touchdowns in a contest thus far. A-Rod also hasn’t ousted more than 255 passing yards in a game yet. Mr. Efficient hasn’t been MVP worthy. Fantasy Pros has placed Rodgers 11th overall (just outside the Top 10) in their QB rankings.

Kirk Cousins

A lot of fantasy owners liked Kirk Cousins’s Week 1 performance against the Green Bay Packers, but he hasn’t been a stud in any recent memory. Cousins has only thrown more than one touchdown in two of his games so far. It’s fair to say that his opponents (the Vikings and Saints) over the past two weeks haven’t been overly scary as, well.

Unfortunately, Justin Jefferson can’t also play QB.

Kenny Pickett

There isn’t any reason to love the 2022 first-round pick, Kenny Pickett, in fantasy or dynasty right now. Pickett (who was projected to be the most pro-ready QB by countless scouts) has yet to throw an NFL touchdown. Yes, you read that correctly. He also has thrown two interceptions in the past two weeks & he currently holds a 2022 passer rating of 61.5.

Jameis Winston

It’s disappointing that Jameis Winston has reverted back to his wicked ways — after showing flashes of greatness in his seven-game stretch last season. Winston has thrown 2 touchdowns to five interceptions in his last two starts. Furthermore, Michael Thomas has also had injury issues rise up again. The cherry on top of criticisms against Winston is that the Red Rifle has outperformed him – to be fair.

Joe Burrow

The AFC Champion a season ago, Joe Burrow, notched three passing touchdowns against the New York Jets in Week 3, but he hasn’t been a bully in his other four contests. The Bengals QB is also on pace to throw 17 interceptions, according to ESPN. The Bengals OL is honestly a big reason why Burrow hasn’t been an illustrious QB. Hopefully, the Bengals can resolve their miscues upfront soon.

The post Fantasy: 5 overrated QBs right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has a John Lennon-like persona, has won MVP in each of the past two seasons. A-Rod threw a whopping 48 passing touchdowns to five interceptions in 2020 and then unveiled 37 passing TDs to four ints last season. Furthermore, Rodgers led the Pack to a 13-3 record in 2020 and a 13-4 record in 2021. With that said, the grand, enticing question surrounding A-Rod in 2022 is: Can Aaron Rodgers win MVP for his third straight season?

I honestly believe the Gandalf-like QB for the Packers can win MVP in 2022. He may be missing Davante Adams — which results in him honestly having less firepower than the likes of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Matthew Stafford. Hence, it will certainly be more challenging for him to oust top-tier statistics moving forward. Nonetheless, it should be noted that he didn’t win MVP last season via having a prime Drew Brees passing yard figure (as he ranked tenth in passing yards) or even ranking in the Top-5 in passing TD count (as he ranked sixth in passing touchdowns).

A-Rod can still be utterly efficient, make magic happen with his new wideouts: Christian Watson and Sammy Watkins, and mop the floor against NFC North opponents. Although, it may be difficult for Rodgers to find a clutch weapon against the likes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys.

To be fair, Rodgers did benefit a bit by often facing pedestrian competition in the past two seasons. In 2022, he will have to face other MVP-aimed signal-callers and their juggernaut rosters (as previously stated). I expect Rodgers to have a very strong 2022 campaign without Tae, but I believe his defense will really need to help him oust another 13+ win season for him to have an MVP case that stands out amid other unearthly QB, RB, and WR profiles.

The post Can Aaron Rodgers win MVP for his third straight season? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

It may seem like the Packers didn’t have an Albert Einstein-like mind helping their search for WR talent this off-season, but the Pack still recently added numerous talented wideouts in Christian Watson and Sammy Watkins. Most importantly, they can feel delighted that they have arguably the most gifted passing QB of all time in Aaron Rodgers on their roster.

A-Rod has been from another planet in 2020 and 2021 (both MVP-winning seasons). Although, many fans believe that the Davante Adams-less offense will noticeably hurt A-Rod’s chances of winning MVP for the third straight season. Well, I’m still going to untwine three reasons why burning man Rodgers could return to the throne and win MVP with his current weapons next season.

Healthy tackles

The mammoth-like LT David Bakhtiari played in a mere one game last season. The Packers may have lost a star in Tae, but they are receiving a healthy and amazing face in Bakhtiari. The Packers LT is arguably an Top-3 LT in the NFL and he will be happy to protect his buddy that likes to ride in the back seat of his truck.

It should also be noted that RT Elgton Jenkins missed nine game last season. The injury-riddled Packers OL was beaten badly by the Nick Bosa-led 49ers pass rush in the playoffs. A-Rod will be very confident that he can stay clean and utilize his wideouts to the best of their ability.

Robert Tonyan

A-Rod threw 11 touchdowns to Robert Tonyan in 2020. Yes, you read that correctly. Well, Tonyan (9 missed games last season) hauled in a mere two touchdowns from his QB in 2021. The Packers QB will be happy to have his gifted and healthy TE catching passes from him moving forward.

Christian Watson

It appears that cheeseheads across the globe should feel ecstatic that their second-round pick is turning heads in OTAs. If the 6’5 WR can be in-sync with Rodgers on the outside early on, while the deep-threat Sammy Watkins and red-zone threat Tonyan excel in their roles, the well-protected Rodgers could find himself crowned MVP for the third straight season.

The post 3 reasons why Aaron Rodgers could win MVP for his third straight season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

It appears that Justin Fields will have a smile on his face after the Chicago Bears 2022 schedule was released yesterday. The team in Chi-town have the 24th easiest schedule in the NFL. The gritty Bears will face a less talented Green Bay Packers offense, but Fields and Matt Eberflus will also face a schedule that is near the opposite challenge of the LA Rams schedule (most difficult schedule) in 2022.

With that enunciated, I’m going to untwine three takeaways from the Bears 2022 schedule.

• The battle of the sophomore dual-threat QBs

The Bears will kick off the season against the San Francisco 49ers and Trey Lance. I believe the Bears show-down against SF is arguably their best opportunity to play spoilers, as they play an unproven QB in the first week of the season. If the Bears can have splash plays dialed up with Darnell Mooney or Velus Jones Jr, they could force Lance to really battle through the air and he could be out of his comfort zone. Fields also have a chance to prove he’s more talented than the 49ers QB1 that was selected ahead of him in the 2021 NFL Draft.

• Most talented opponent: Buffalo Bills

Justin Fields will face a monster challenge in Week 16 at home against the Buffalo Bills. If Fields can manage to beat the Bills, it may convince his followers that he is their future QB beyond 2022. He definitely needs to play better than the starting performance from previous sophomore Tua Tagovailoa against BUF: 21/39, 205 passing yds, 0 TDs, 1 INT.

• The Bears archnemesis: Green Bay Packers

It will obviously be a serious test for Fields to beat the Green Bay Packers in 2022. Although, the Bears could really turn the tide with their confidence against GB by splitting games with them in 2022. I believe the battle between the 2021 NFC Defensive Player of November Robert Quinn and the healthy David Bakhtiari will be very enjoyable. Quinn had 3 sacks combined against the Packers last season and they will need him to be unstoppable against A-Rod, especially without Khalil Mack. Quinn will dream about clinching a win with a sack against Rodgers and then doing the belt.

The post 3 takeaways from the Chicago Bears 2022 schedule appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers are aiming for another Super Bowl win with the ageless warrior in Aaron Rodgers. A-Rod and his band of misfits will surely face a different mountain in 2022 than any previous season. The Packers will not have Davante Adams and it will be more difficult for Rodgers to “own the Bears” with Justin Fields leading CHI out of the tunnel. Nonetheless, the Packers will aim to be the top seed in the NFC for the third straight season.

With that enunciated, I’m going to untwine the biggest challenges that will attempt to break the Packers spirit in 2022. Let’s begin.

• The loss of Tae

I really believe the loss of Tae will haunt the Packers passing attack next season. Adams has arguably been the NFL’s most indispensable WR in the NFL over the past couple of seasons. A vital question arises after the exit from Adams: how quickly can Christian Watson develop into a 1,000+ yard WR?

I would also still like to see the Packers ink Will Fuller or OBJ, so they have a few quality WRs and Rodgers would always have favorable match-ups with his wideouts. The Pack has an underrated talent in Sammy Watkins, but they are also relying on Watkins to stay healthy for most of 2022, which is a scary thought. I’d love to see the Pack ink a FA WR or trade for a superb WR, so their WR room is well-prepared to dazzle opponents like LAR, TB, and even NO.

• The return of David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins

The Packers may not have a Top 3 WR in Tae, but they will have an elite, healthy former Top 3 LT in David Bakhtiari. The Packers legendary LT missed 16 games last season and it’s clear the return of his presence will benefit the reigning NFC North champions. Furthermore, Elgton Jenkins (who missed 9 games last season) will be healthy and hungry moving forward. The 49ers stud pass rusher Nick Bosa had two sacks (including a strip-sack) against the Packers backup RT in the recent pivotal divisional round. The ultimate question is: can the Packers have their tackles return to their prior form?

• What will Quay Walker bring to the table?

The Packers cut ties with Za’Darius Smith this offseason, but they did add Quay Walker. The Packers new LB is off to a hot start, according to UGA Wire. The cheeseheads in the world will hope he can have a similar impact as the 2009 Clay Matthews in his first season. The 38-year-old Rodgers will hope that his young friends can help him win another Lombardi trophy in Titletown soon.

The post 3 biggest obstacles for the Green Bay Packers right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.