Superlatives are in high demand again for Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers after his brilliant game-winning touchdown drive at Dallas on Sunday salvaged a pivotal road victory for the Packers.
Next stop: U.S. Bank Stadium.
“I’ve been in the league 20-some years and I can’t remember a guy that does the things this guy does,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday. “I think they should trade him.”
Defensive end Everson Griffen anointed Rodgers king of the alpha males for his ability to sidestep any pass rush.
“Aaron Rodgers is the toughest guy to be patient with; he’s the best quarterback, in my opinion,” Griffen said.
Vikings quarterback Case Keenum was just plain stumped when asked about the signal caller that has vexed Minnesota like no other.
“There are no words that can describe the kind of plays that he can make,” Keenum said with a shrug.
Powerful, elusive and coy, Rodgers can beat teams with his arm, legs and brain. He buys time in the pocket to toy with defenders, becomes a gunslinger on the run, can practically throw a ball out of a stadium and is lethal with the game on the line.
On Sunday, the most prolific touchdown thrower of the past four seasons padded his play-making resume with a fourth-quarter comeback that collectively cold-cocked 100,000 Cowboys fans at AT&T Stadium and thoroughly entertained FOX’s national television audience.
Dallas scored a touchdown to take a 31-28 lead with just more than one minute remaining. That’s when Rodgers went to work after being held to less than 200 yards passing for the game.
He immediately threaded a sideline pass to Davante Adams for 14 yards to stop the clock. A short pass to tight end Martellus Bennett gained 14 more to near midfield.
A 15-yard run by Aaron Jones put the Packers into field-goal range, but Rodgers wasn’t interested in forcing overtime. Facing third and 8, he scrambled out of the pocket, danced out of the grasp of two Cowboys defenders and darted down the left sideline for 18 yards before stepping out of bounds at the Dallas 12.
Two snaps later, Rodgers worked the left side to Adams again, throwing his patented back-shoulder pass above Dallas cornerback Jourdan Lewis for the winning touchdown.
Comeback complete. Mission accomplished. Again.
“Well, those are the fun ones, when you’re able to finish a game off like that,” Rodgers said Wednesday on a conference call with Twin Cities media. “It’s a big-time game. Two teams that feel like they’re America’s team: the Cowboys for so many years, and the appeal we have nationwide with our incredible fans.
“To put together a drive like that when we needed it, not just to tie the game and send it to overtime but to win the game, was very special. We’ve done it a couple times this year. That’s why we’re 4-1 and not 2-3.”
Two weeks ago, Rodgers tied Cincinnati at Lambeau Field with a touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson with 21 seconds remaining to cap a 15-play, 75-yard drive. The Packers won with an overtime field goal.
“For me, in those moments, it’s just about doing the little things, thinking about my breathing and my responsibility and keeping the moment what it is,” Rodgers said. “It’s only as big as you allow it to be.”
Keeping Rodgers off the field is the best defense, especially with any time on the clock.
“He does what he does; that has never changed,” Zimmer said. “Don’t let him have the ball. He’s too good at that. If he’s got the ball in his hands you’ve got a chance to lose.”
The Vikings know this all too well.
Including one postseason victory, Rodgers is 13-6 against Minnesota and has won 11 of the past 14 games. He has completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 4,810 yards, 40 touchdowns and just six interceptions, with a passer rating of 111.7.
That is the second-highest of any opposing quarterback with a minimum of 100 attempts against the Vikings, behind Kurt Warner (112.4). In the past nine games of the series, Rodgers has thrown 20 touchdowns and two interceptions.
One of those picks allowed the Vikings to eke out a Week 2 victory last year to christen U.S. Bank Stadium. They were leading by a field goal with 1:56 remaining, but the Packers had driven into Minnesota territory. On third and 14, Trae Waynes intercepted Rodgers’ pass for Adams to secure the win.
In the team’s last meeting, Dec. 24 at Lambeau Field, Rodgers exacted his revenge by snuffing the Vikings’ playoff hopes. He carved them up for 347 yards on 28-of-38 passing with four touchdowns and a passer rating of 136.6.
Rodgers likes the twice-per-season chess match he gets to play with Zimmer. Their respect is mutual.
“Mike is an innovator,” he said. “He’s brought some concepts to the league that other people have tried to copy but not with anywhere near the kind of success he’s had with both Cincinnati and now with Minnesota. He’s just a really smart, smart coach, has his guys well-prepared, and they do a good job disguising things.
“He’s done some things that are ahead of his time. I call that an innovator.”