As Aaron Rodgers gave the Green Bay Packers quarterback for a second consecutive NFC North title and the NFC main seed gate, he seemed to be in top form, although it has long been noticed that his principal is behind him.
At 37, Rodgers is a favorite for AP Most Valuable Player and is in a position to overcome perhaps the best season of his career.
Rodgers has 44 passes for leading NFL touchdowns this season, which is just one away from the Packers single-season record set by Rodgers in 2011, when he played 45 – and was voted the most valuable player.
Rodgers is two touchdown passes away from continuing a quarterback trend setting new records for a single season in the franchise this year.
So far, four star NFL quarterbacks have set new franchise records in a single season in 2020 and Rodgers is poised to be fifth.
The most recent was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen at Monday night football final, surpassing the season mark of Jim Kelly.
In his first year with the franchise, Tom Brady set a new standard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16, breaking Jameis Winston’s record set just a season ago.
Russell Wilson broke his own Seahawks record of 35 TDs in 2018 with his four point display in Week 14 against the Jets.
And lost in a fight season, Deshaun Watson’s 30 touchdown passes are a new record for the Houston Texans, breaking the 29th 2009 mark set by Matt Schaub. Watson overtook Schaub in the Texans’ week 16 defeat to Cincinnati Bengals.
Rodgers is about to set a new best title at Titletown on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, against whom he went 19-5 in the regular season, with 51 touchdowns – an average of 2,125 per game.
If Rodgers sets a new Packers single season standard, it will be the fifth performance record of the season, which would be the highest since 1998, according to NFL Research. Excluding expansion teams, the maximum in any season would be seven, which was done in 1980 and 1963.
Rodgers is set to be the only record holder on Sunday.
Ben Roethlisberger’s 33 touchdown passes this season are just one away from his Pittsburgh Steelers record of 34 in 2018. But it has already been announced that Roethlisberger will not play against the Cleveland Browns as the Steelers ended AFC North.
Others within the area code for franchise records are Ryan Tannehill, whose 32 touchdowns are behind the 36 at the 1961 Hall of Famer George Blanda, who stands out as the best in the Titans / Houston Oilers franchise. And AP Offensive of the Year’s debut record 28 TD releases, Justin Herbert, is six of Philip Rivers’ 2008 franchise record, 34.
While Tannehill or Herbert would take a rather surprising ride to set single-single season records, Rodgers continuing along with his excellent 2020 should put him beyond 2011.