NFL star Aaron Rodgers did his best Tom Brady impression as he took his anger at his torrid performance out on a phone on the sideline during the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
After amassing 39 regular-season wins and two NFC Championship Game appearances in the team's first three seasons under head coach Matt LaFleur, the wheels appear to have fallen off as the Packers fell 15-9 to the Lions. It means Green Bay have lost five straight matches to possess a 3-6 record while Detroit sit at 2-6.
The single-digit defeat to the Lions - the worst defence in the NFL allowing an average of 32.1 points per game - was brutal and perhaps symbolises the negative feelings around the franchise like no other loss in Rodgers’ career. The result occurred following three unfathomable interceptions, including two in the end zone, that were undoubtedly on the four-time MVP.
During the embarrassing defeat, TV cameras spotted Rodgers angrily slamming down a phone on the sideline. He’s not the only future Hall of Fame quarterback to take his anger out on technology on the sideline this season; when greeted with a Microsoft Surface tablet back in Week 2, Brady aggressively threw it to the ground in anger.
The Bucs struggled through large portions of the contest but came away 20-10 winners at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to secure his first regular season win over New Orleans since joining the Bucs in 2019. This wasn’t the first time a tablet has caught the ire of Brady against the Saints. Back in December 2021, the Saints secured a 9-0 win over their NFC South rivals and a frustrated Brady smashed a tablet.
Whether it is frustration, a lack of form or the dreaded cliff feared by all once-great superstars, Rodgers is making significant errors that are costing his team. His performance against the Lions was Rodgers’ first three-interception game since 2017 - and after the game, Rodgers understood his part in the mess: “Some s***** throws, for sure.”
Ironically, Rodgers and the Packers offence moved the ball downfield well. They totalled 389 yards on the day while the quarterback hit a season-high 291 passing yards, with the only time they failed to cross midfield was when the Packers received the ball with 15 seconds remaining in the second quarter and took a knee.
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But they only scored single-digit points. On Green Bay’s first drive, Rodgers threw an interception from the 5-yard line after it glanced off a helmet. On the second drive, a clever play allowed left tackle David Bakhtiari to get open but Rodgers’ pass fell short into the welcome arms of rookie defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. It was the first time in Rodgers’ illustrious 18-year career had thrown two red-zone picks in a game.
His third interception came on the Lions 23-yard line, and they proved costly on a disappointing day for the Packers offence. The remaining schedule will hardly make for better reading for Rodgers and co. as they face five potential playoff teams in their final eight games.
Green Bay's next two home games come against the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans. If they emerge from that gauntlet with two huge wins, the Packers will then face the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football in Week 12. Perhaps that was what Rodgers was told over the phone.
