Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes to Allen Lazard in the first half of Sunday’s season finale in Detroit and then sat out the second half, finishing off a marvelous regular season run that could see him win a fourth NFL MVP award.
Rodgers, the MVP favorite entering Week 18, played four series and led two scoring drives. He completed 14 of 18 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
His final season statistics: 366 completions on 531 attempts for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He completed 68.9 percent of passes, averaged 7.8 per attempt and had a passer rating of 111.9.
The Packers finished 13-4 and clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Rodgers’ numbers, combined with Green Bay’s end to the season, could easily be enough to give him the MVP for the second consecutive season.
Since 2020, Rodgers has thrown 85 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions in 32 games, marking the most productive two-year stretch in his Hall of Fame career.
Coach Matt LaFleur gave him a half of work on Sunday to add to his totals, and he didn’t waste the opportunity. For the 13th time this season and seventh straight time to end the year, Rodgers finished a game with multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Lazard, who is emerging as a reliable target, caught five passes for a team-high 75 yards and both of Rodgers’ touchdown passes. He made a 1-yard catch on 3rd-and-goal to cap off the Packers’ opening drive and then hauled in a 29-yard pass from Rodgers to complete the final drive of the half.
Over the final seven games of 2021, Rodgers threw 20 touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
Nothing Rodgers did or didn’t do Sunday in Detroit should hurt him in the MVP race. He may not win the award unanimously, but he has to be considered the big favorite to be the eventual winner.
Backup Jordan Love took over in the second half and led the Packers to 17 points, including the go-ahead touchdown with 4:49 left, but Love also threw two interceptions – including one off a dropped pass by Amari Rodgers – and Green Bay gave up 10 straight points to lose the game, 37-30.
