Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a mix of dejected and optimistic in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s 37-20 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
He had good reason for disappointment: Since winning Super Bowl XLV, Rodgers and the Packers are 0-3 in NFC title games, with one historic collapse in Seattle and blowouts in Atlanta and San Francisco.
On Sunday, Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes in the second half but also mishandled a snap from Corey Linsley and threw an interception that led to a quick 49ers touchdown. The Packers trailed 27-0 at half and never recovered.
At the podium deep inside Levi’s Stadium, Rodgers expressed dismay in letting another opportunity to get back to the Super Bowl come and go. The 36-year-old quarterback knows first-hand how difficult it is to get to the doorstep of the biggest game in the sport. Opportunities are rare, and every lost chance inches Rodgers closer and closer to finishing his NFL career without a return trip to the Super Bowl.
But for every word of disappointment from Rodgers was at least five of optimism, both in the roster-building ability of GM Brian Gutekunst and the leadership and vision of coach Matt LaFleur.
Together, Gutekunst and LaFleur helped transform the Packers, with major additions to the roster and a culture change inside the locker room turning a sinking franchise into a 13-game winner who captured the NFC North title and advanced to within one game of the Super Bowl.
Rodgers said he’ll always remember 2019 season because it marked the moment football “became fun again.” He credited the additions by Gutekunst, the leadership of LaFleur and the quality of the quarterback room (both coaches and players) for reviving the fun lost as the Packers stumbled their way to consecutive losing seasons in 2017 and 2018.
The Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round at Lambeau Field last Sunday and played in their first NFC title game since 2016.
Rodgers is confident Gutekunst and LaFleur will do what it takes to keep the Packers in the championship hunt every year. With another productive offseason fortifying the roster and another year getting comfortable with LaFleur in the offense, Rodgers should be in a good position to lead another charge toward a Super Bowl in 2020.
“The window is open for us, and that’s the exciting thing,” Rodgers said. “It doesn’t make this feeling any easier, but that’s exciting moving forward.”
Rodgers said the gap between the Packers and 49ers looks big. The scoreboard suggests the optics are correct. Rodgers isn’t sure it’s as big as it looks, and he’s confident this team is close.
“I think we’ll be on the right side of one of these soon,” Rodgers said.
It wasn’t meant to be for Rodgers and the Packers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday. Too many mistakes doomed LaFleur’s team in the first half.
But Rodgers’ confidence in the future has to be viewed as the silver lining coming out of Sunday’s disappointing end of the 2019 season. There’s a synergy between the quarterback, general manager and head coach. Visions are aligned in Green Bay. And that gives Rodgers supreme confidence that his team wasn’t just a flash in the pan – they’ll be back competing to play in the Super Bowl soon.