A week ago, he was one of a litany of frontrunners, along with quarterbacks Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray and Tennessee running back Derrick Henry.
Some would argue that the Packers’ 13-7 loss to Kansas City only underscores his value to Green Bay, and no argument here.
So what? So it begs the question: How can someone be considered MVP material if, in flouting league mandates, he knowingly and recklessly puts his teammates at risk? Rodgers knew what the rules were, and he and the Packers disobeyed them.
So let’s look at what we have now: Rodgers’ reputation has suffered a body blow, with Hall-of-Fame quarterback and FOX broadcaster Terry Bradshaw calling him a liar on national TV … and he’s hardly alone.
But he had to be something other than he was – which was a Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time player who was overmatched and underwhelming.
Now look what’s ahead: One of the NFL’s easiest schedules, with only three second-half opponents with winning records.
The Patriots have the same number of wins as first-place Buffalo in the AFC East, play in a division with the Jets and Miami and their rookie quarterback doesn’t make big mistakes.
Teams that win on Mondays win the following Sunday … and you can look it up.
Jackson’s 97 rushes are more than the Ravens’ top two running backs combined and have him on schedule for nearly 200 this season.
Worse, they just lost to an Arizona team missing its two best players, Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins.
Yes, numbers can be misleading, but Teddy Bridgewater’s numbers are pretty transparent.
That makes Arizona 5-0 on the road, with all five wins by 12 or more points, and, yes, that’s significant.
Remember when the Bengals buried Baltimore and quarterback Joe Burrow said “the sky’s the limit.” Apparently, it’s not.
In the end, it might just come down to what Aaron Schatz, editor in chief of Football Outsiders, said on Twitter: “So Stafford sucked today.
Conner was supposed to be a role player after he left Pittsburgh, but check this out: His 11 touchdowns not only lead the NFL but are the most by a Cardinals’ player through the first nine games since 1973.