Cheese Curds, 12/17: Aaron Rodgers’ miscues have helped define Packers’ 2018

Statistically, 2015 was Aaron Rodgers’ worst season in the NFL. However, his 2018 season looks worse to the naked eye when watching his performance game in and game out.

The Green Bay Packers had a glut of injuries in 2015, when Rodgers was coming off his second MVP award. Jordy Nelson’s torn ACL robbed him of his favorite target, Davante Adams dealt with ankle problems all year long, and it became obvious that Randall Cobb could not be counted on as a true number one receiver. It was so bad that the team had to pull James Jones back in off the street to lead the team in receiving yards. However, much of the team’s struggles were also due to opposing defenses finally figuring out how to defend the Packers, particularly when they did not have a true deep threat.

In 2018, the Packers thankfully had their number one receiver, Adams, healthy all year. He’s now on pace for 1,502 yards and he already has triple-digit receptions this season with two games to go. Injuries to Cobb and WR3 Geronimo Allison have forced rookies into the lineup, but it is Rodgers’ uneven performance that is primarily responsible for the team’s struggles.

His misses on easy throws are inexplicable. His misses on open receivers on deep balls are uncharacteristic and baffling. And these mistakes seem to come in the most critical situations — on third downs or late in games.

Yes, Rodgers has made a few big plays late. He drove the Packers to a remarkable comeback against the Bears in week one and again against the 49ers in week six. Yes, Rodgers dealt with a significant knee injury early in the season, which likely hurt his mechanics. Furthermore, Rodgers is hardly the only Packer making mistakes; costly fumbles by Ty Montgomery and Aaron Jones cost the Packers opportunities to come back against two of the NFL’s best teams, while Mike McCarthy’s decision-making helped lose additional games and eventually his job.

But if the Packers want to bounce back to contend in 2019, Rodgers absolutely must play better than he has in 2018. Today’s curds take a close look at his struggles and his plans for the remainder of this season.

Aaron Rodgers wants to finish the season right | Packers.com
This is the first time since Rodgers' first season as a starter in 2008 that he will be on the active roster after the Packers have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Still, he has no plans to take a back seat over these final two games.

Aaron Rodgers keeps missing the mark | Packersnews.com
Perhaps one of the things that Rodgers can work on in these final two games is getting his mechanics and accuracy back to their normal levels. The two missed deep balls in a tie game set up the Bears to take the lead, and Rodgers' inaccurate pass to Jimmy Graham -- though still arguably catchable -- was deflected for a season-killing interception.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers tweaked groin in loss to Bears | Packers Wire
Thankfully, Rodgers is not going to use this minor injury as an excuse for his play. It seemed to affect his mobility slightly, but should not have caused his inaccuracy in the second half.

Packers go down with a fight; no hope left for the season - ESPN
A team losing a lot more close games than it wins usually means it is primed for a rebound the next year. The Packers' record in close games (8 points or less) is 2-6-1 this season, and those breaks should even out a bit better next year.

NFL Week 15: The 12 dumbest mistakes from Saturday and Sunday, ranked - SBNation.com
Matt Nagy outsmarting himself with a fake punt and Tarik Cohen's read-option comes in at number 5 on this week's list.

Man defecates on FedEx Forum hallway floor during sold-out game | WREG.com
Memphis was playing number 3 Tennessee this weekend, but this guy was a lot more worried about number 2, which he took care of behind a concession stand. Sure, the lines were probably long for the restroom, but COME ON.