By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA

Green Bay’s 34-27 loss also sees Rodgers, offense fail to punch ticket in red zone

GREEN BAY, Wis. – All the talk about the Packers’ “bad-ass defense” – Preston Smith’s words, not mine – being the best in the NFL appears to have been premature.

It’s still possible, but Green Bay’s defense isn’t there yet.

That much was clear in Philadelphia’s 34-27 victory over the Packers on Thursday night at Lambeau Field.

This also is clear: Green Bay’s defense is one linebacker short of a load, and the Packers’ offense mostly revolves around Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and a prayer.

Speaking of prayers … sending them out to Jamaal Williams, who was concussed on a vicious helmet-to-helmet shot by the Eagles’ Derek Barnett, who should have been ejected.

Instead, half of the Packers’ running back tandem was carted off the field while Barnett was allowed to continue. He went on to get the Eagles’ lone sack – a second quarter strip-sack that forced a Rodgers fumble and impacted the outcome.

Hopefully Williams, who was a tremendous guest at Event USA’s player reception party Wednesday night, will be ok.

Meantime, Rodgers-to-Adams was pure brilliance at times, and their 58-yard first-quarter completion was textbook execution.

Adams finished with a career-high 180 yards on 10 catches, but was lost to a foot injury in the fourth quarter. When he went to the sideline, the Packers’ best chance to win went with him.

When the Packers’ offense wasn’t repeatedly stubbing its toe in the red zone without Adams, the Eagles’ Carson Wentz was busy perfecting the art of the handoff.

Jordan Howard carried it 15 times for 87 yards. Mile Sanders had 11 for 72. Both would’ve had more yards and attempts except the Eagles’ scoring drives occurred too fast to allow it.

The Packers’ defense could’ve tossed rose petals at their feet for all the resistance it mounted.

The Packers weren’t merely guilty of poor tackling. They were walled off, sealed off and cordoned off by an Eagles’ offensive line and tight end group that blocked its tail off.

Green Bay was outplayed along the line on both sides, but it was especially ugly on defense.

Afterward, Preston and Za’Darius Smith said in their tag-team interview: “This isn’t us.”

Packers’ fans better hope they’re right.

They better hope Za’Darius Smith gets right – he didn’t register a single stat while gamely trying to play with a sore knee. When Za’Darius is less than 100 percent, so is the Packers’ pass rush.

The Packers’ offense had its moments, both good and bad.

It is mind-boggling that Rodgers led the offense into the Eagles’ red zone on seven occasions and they still lost. That’s largely because they went a dreadful 3-for-7 once they got there.

Jimmy Graham caught six passes on nine targets, but the three misfires all came in the red zone. Geronimo Allison had three catches for 52 yards, including a leaping 31-yard grab to set up his 19-yard touchdown catch two plays later.

That made it Eagles 21-20 at the half.

Packers’ fans went into intermission feeling much better.

It proved to be an illusion.

The Packers battled to a 27-27 tie by converting 6 of 11 third down attempts and racking eight first downs by penalty.

It wasn’t enough.

Rodgers led the Packers to the Eagles’ doorstep twice but failed to score the tying touchdown both times. The second drive fizzled when the Eagles intercepted a tipped pass to end it.

“We’re a building team, a good team,” Rodgers said, but made it clear that the top teams win games like Thursday night’s.

Wentz, who was 16 of 27 for 160 yards and three touchdowns, finished with a 113.2 passer rating. He relied on tight end Zach Ertz, who delivered with seven catches for 65 yards. Alshon Jeffery, Dallas Goedert and Howard all had touchdown catches.

The Packers have 10 days to get healthy and fix what ails them.

Rodgers’ 53 pass attempts were more than the 52 plays they ran for the game in the win against Denver. He finished 34 of 53 for 422 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He was sacked just once and finished with a 93.4 passer rating.

Green Bay’s offense needs to find a consistent running attack.

The Packers’ defense must figure out how to stop the Cowboys’ vaunted running attack featuring Ezekiel Elliott when they meet Oct. 6 at Dallas.

The Packers’ special teams weren’t blameless, either. Sanders’ 67-yard kickoff return set up the Eagles’ first touchdown drive. Green Bay had taken a 10-0 lead and might’ve forced Philadelphia to abandon the run. Sanders’ huge return and the Eagles’ subsequent touchdown made it 10-7 and it was game on.

So who is the Packers’ defense?

In fact, who are the Packers?

The challenge that Dallas and its running attack presents should offer clues. This time the Packers’ defense needs to throw up road blocks, rather than pave Dallas’ way with rose petals.

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA

Green Bay’s defense registers six sacks, harasses Denver’s Flacco into mistakes

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers’ previous six teams that started 3-0 all reached the playoffs. Will first-year head coach Matt LaFleur’s undefeated outfit become the seventh?

Oh, I suppose it’s too early for all of that. Or is it?

The Packers may be building something special given their most recent display – an impressive defense-driven 27-16 victory over the Denver Broncos Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field.

Green Bay’s hat trick to open the season is rooted in a tried-and-true formula for success: Smart, mistake-free offense backed by terrific defense and reliable special teams.

It is easier said than done, but the Packers are making it happen.

While Aaron Rodgers and LaFleur are finding their way in the new offense, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s crew is finding its way to the opposing quarterback.

The Packers registered six sacks – all by edge rushers – and forced three turnovers to make life miserable for Joe Flacco. The Broncos’ veteran quarterback completed 20 of 29 passes for 213 yards and one interception for a ho-hum 75.8 passer rating.

So who’s who in the Pettine Zoo this week?

Let’s start with Preston Smith and his career-high three sacks.

“We don’t care if the offense is leaning on us,” he told reporters after the game. “We’re going out there to do the best we can do. We’re going to play to the level and the expectation we have for ourselves and one another, and we’re going out there and being the bad-ass defense.”

The last time anyone described the Packers’ defense as being “bad-ass” Jaire Alexander was in junior high. That was at the height of the Clay Matthews-Charles Woodson era. Before that, Rodgers was in grade school and it was the Reggie White era.

Now, it’s the Smiths and Co.

With the game tied at 10-10 late in the first half, Preston Smith barreled into the Broncos’ backfield for a strip-sack of Flacco inside the 10. Rookie Rashan Gary pounced on the fumble at Denver’s 5-yard line.

After Aaron Jones tried the left end for a 2-yard loss, he got the call again after the two-minute warning and burrowed his way into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown run to make it 17-10.

The Packers’ defense kept up the pressure in the second half.

On the Broncos’ first possession Alexander stripped the football away from rookie tight end Noah Fant at Denver’s 37.

Rodgers promptly hit fullback Danny Vitale for a 27-yard pass play to set up Jones’ second touchdown, this from 1 yard out.

That put the Packers firmly in control at 24-10.

Za’Darius Smith wasn’t surprised by the defensive dominance.

“Man, that’s the goal we aim for every week, is to be the best we can be and to be the best defense out there in the NFL,” Za’Darius Smith said. “So, yeah, we’re turning into the best defense. I’m confident in these guys.”

The Packers’ aggressive offseason is paying dividends.

With safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage backing their play, cornerbacks Kevin King and Alexander are quietly developing into the bookends Green Bay hoped. King had nine tackles and Alexander added seven with two passes defended.

Meantime, the edge rushers have been superb, Kenny Clark has dominated up front and Blake Martinez is a tackling machine.

Offensively, Rodgers is able to whistle while he works.

“I took basically one shot,” Rodgers said. “I hit the ground one time. So I’m ecstatic. I’ve been at this for a long time. To go home with my body feeling this good is a credit to the offensive line, for sure.”

It’s also critical with the Eagles’ game just three days away.

In fact, the Packers’ entire roster managed to stay relatively fresh and injury-free on Sunday.

The Packers’ new-look offensive line delivered.

With second-round draft pick Elgton Jenkins starting in place of Lane Taylor, who went on IR Friday, the line played well. Jenkins handled his business at left guard while everyone else handled Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.

The Broncos’ pass-rush duo didn’t register a sack.

Rodgers’ uniform never looked cleaner. In fact, Tide laundry detergent may want to consider a marketing campaign.

Rodgers said he took one shot. I had him for two shots – the one hit he absorbed and the 40-yard pass completion to Marques Valdez-Scantling for an opening-drive touchdown.

Rodgers’ bomb to MVS capped a five-play, 75-yard drive that put the Broncos’ defense back on its cleats.

Rodgers finished 17 of 29 for 235 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for a 96.2 passer rating.

Green Bay converted just two of nine third down attempts, and ran just 52 plays over 24 minutes of possession. However, the Packers were 2-for-2 in the red zone and managed enough of a running game to be balanced. Jamaal Williams was 12 for 59 while Jones was only 10 for 19 but rushed for two touchdowns.

For his part, Rodgers knows the offense needs to be better.

“I want to play better, I want to score more points,” he said, adding, “The potential (on offense) has to start getting closer to the actual performance.”

That’s the goal Thursday night when the Packers (3-0) host the Eagles (1-2) at Lambeau Field.

Philadelphia is beaten up and coming off a 27-24 loss to Detroit at home Sunday. The Lions’ Matthew Stafford gashed the Eagles’ defense while not being sacked once.

Rodgers is looking to do exactly that come Thursday, and he’s feeling frisky enough to make it happen.

Hey, it’s never too early to look ahead, whether it’s a game in three days or the post-season in three months.

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA

Green Bay’s first-quarter dominance holds up as Packers stay unbeaten

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers raced to a three-touchdown lead over Minnesota and tried a game of hide-and-seek.

Once the Vikings closed to within five in the second half, Green Bay’s defense played “takeaway” and the offense “keep-away” well enough to score a 21-16 victory Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Packers’ cornerback Tramon Williams summed it up well: “The two most important things are we won as a team and the defense came up with a big stop at the end. If we continue to do those things we’re going to win a lot of games.”

With the Packers clinging to a five-point fourth-quarter lead, Minnesota drove 52 yards in eight plays to face first-and-goal at the Green Bay 8. Inexplicably, Kirk Cousins rolled right and tried to force a pass to Stefan Diggs in the corner of the end zone, but the Packers’ Kevin King made a terrific interception with a little more than five minutes to play.

Of all my cousins – and I love them dearly – perhaps my favorite cousin is Kirk Cousins. The interception sealed it.

“You just can’t do that, can’t do that,” Cousins said after the game. “It happened last week in our game and against us. We talked about it all week, you just can’t do that. It’s uncharacteristic of me.”

That’s his opinion.

Characteristic or otherwise, the Packers will take it.

Green Bay’s sputtering offense tried in vain to run out the clock, but Cousins and the Vikings’ offense couldn’t capitalize.

“The biggest thing is we’re 2-0,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “I know we owe a lot of that to our defense and (defensive coordinator) Mike Pettine and his staff and those guys for being opportunistic and making plays when they had to. But I think there’s still a lot of great potential in this offense.”

The Packers (2-0) jumped all over the Vikings (1-1) by scoring touchdowns on each of their first three possessions. They opened up a 21-0 lead while amassing 171 yards against Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer’s vaunted defense.

Then, the Packers went cold, mustering 164 yards and zero points in their final 11 possessions.

It wasn’t pretty. It definitely wasn’t easy.

But it was a victory.

Aaron Jones, who rushed for 116 yards on 23 carries, helped get the Packers’ run game going early.

“We came out hot,” Jones said. “We thought we could do no wrong. We’ve just got to continue to work at it because the fourth drive, sixth drive … we want points on those as well.”

As I predicted, Rodgers established All-Pro receiver Davante Adams early. His first pass was a 39-yarder to Adams to kick off a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on their first possession. It was capped by Jamaal Williams’ nifty 15-yard catch-and-run.

After the Vikings missed a field goal, Geronimo Allison caught a 12-yard bullet from Rodgers to make it 14-0 Packers.

“We started off a lot faster,” Adams said. “That’s definitely what we were after this week.”

A Kenny Clark sack forced a Kirk Cousins fumble that Dean Lowry recovered on the Vikings’ 33-yard line. Jones’ subsequent 2-yard run opened Green Bay’s lead to 21-0.

That’s when the Packers’ offense stalled.

Rodgers finished 22 of 34 for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked twice, but finished with a strong 101.2 rating. Cousins completed 14 of 32 passes for 230 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked once and ended up with an awful 52.9 rating.

Clearly, there is room for improvement in Green Bay.

There are plenty of positives though:

** The defense has allowed 19 points in two games. That’s impressive under any circumstances against any opponents.
“Disappointing loss today,” Zimmer said. “We fought hard, but we didn’t play well enough to win. We had some dumb penalties … the interception at the end of the ballgame hurt.”

Indeed, the Packers were penalized six times for 35 yards compared with Minnesota’s eight for 100 yards.

** Kenny Clark’s sack, Blake Martinez’s 13 tackles and excellent play from the Smiths, who combined for eight tackles in addition to Preston’s interception.

** The Packers are 2-0 in the NFC North with a great chance to go to 3-0 with Detroit (1-1) coming to Lambeau Field next.

** They already scored a road win (they were 1-7 on the road in 2018) and the communication between head coach Matt LaFleur and Rodgers continues to grow.

It’s a work in progress, and right now it appears the Packers are working hard and making progress.

It’s a wonderful start to a season with great promise. The Packers look to keep it rolling against Denver (0-2) this week.

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA

LaFleur captures first NFL victory at Soldier Field versus NFC North rival

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers ought to know a kick-butt NFL defense when he sees one. He’s definitely had his own kicked enough through the years.

Last Thursday, Rodgers was talking about an incredible defense, once again, only this time it was different. He was talking about the Green Bay defense after the Packers’ 10-3 victory over the Bears at Soldier Field.

“We’ve got a defense,” Rodgers told NBC afterward.

The Packers also have a head coach in Matt LaFleur who appears to be able to see a game for what it is as it unfolds.

That’s a great sign for a first-year head coach.

LaFleur realized early on that the Packers-Bears’ 100th season kick off was going to be a slugfest.

First team to 10 wins.

LaFleur’s play-calling and in-game coaching reflected it.

He was willing to let his defense chew up the Bears’ offense, and if the Packers’ drives stalled, well, let the punter do his thing. He didn’t force the issue. He didn’t needlessly give the Bears any obvious openings. He didn’t need to prove his offensive scheme is all-world. He coached to win the game.

Now, LaFleur’s offense needs to be much better this week.

The Vikings’ defense reminded everyone that it can hit, especially Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. Minnesota dispatched the Falcons 28-12 at home Sunday and it wasn’t that close.

The Packers’ offense will have the benefit of being at home against the Vikings. A jacked-up Lambeau Field crowd should make it difficult for the Vikings’ offense to execute.

Perhaps more important being at home can only help a Packers’ offense that struggled at Chicago.

The Packers and Rodgers managed just two scoring drives in four quarters. They were interspersed between J.K. “Great” Scott’s nine fantastic punts – the ninth netting 68 yards. It wasn’t always pretty for the Packers, but it was enough to get past Chicago’s flailing offense and underwhelming quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

LaFleur didn’t screw it up.

When the Bears’ still-vaunted defense held the Packers’ offense to nine plays on their first three drives for negative yards, LaFleur could’ve tried to force the issue with his run scheme.

Instead, he spread the field and Rodgers completed four straight passes – the first a 47-yard bomb to Marquez Valdes-Scantling; the last an 8-yard touchdown to Jimmy Graham – to give the Packers’ suddenly no-huddle attack some life.

The sloppy offensive rollout for both teams made it look as if each defense had too many men on the field. Indeed, the Bears’ defense did have 12 men on the field when Rodgers hit Graham for the game’s only touchdown.

It was one of those nights.

Rodgers completed 18 of 30 for 203 yards and the touchdown for a 91.4 quarterback rating. He was sacked five times, but didn’t yield a turnover and seemed in-sync with LaFleur.

Rodgers especially liked LaFleur’s play call on a second-and-9 at the Packers’ 7-yard line clinging to a 7-3 lead. Davante Adams limped off just before the snap, but Rodgers stayed with the play and hit Trevor Davis for a 28-yard completion.

“A really nice call right there by Matt (LaFleur),” Rodgers said.

Then, he hit Robert Tonyan for another 28-yard gain to help set up Mason Crosby’s 39-yard field goal with 5:15 to play. That made it 10-3 Packers and ratcheted up the pressure on the Bears.

Trubisky had no response.

He finished 26 of 45 for 228 yards and an interception. Trubisky, like Rodgers, also was sacked five times. The Packers’ pass rush forced the Bears’ offensive line into four offensive holding penalties, which are as good as a sack.

The Packers’ defense got strong performances from Blake Martinez, Kenny Clark, Montravius Adams and Raven Greene, among others.

The Smiths – Preston and Za’Darius – each posted a sack, with Preston’s closing out the game.

On the prior series, ex-Bears safety Adrian Amos intercepted a Trubisky pass intended for Allen Robinson in the corner of the end zone. Amos said he recognized the play based on formation.

As for Trubisky, Packers defensive back Tramon Williams said, “We wanted to make Mitch play quarterback. We knew they had plenty of weapons and all of that. We wanted to make Mitch play quarterback.”

When called upon, Trubisky came up short.

In fact, Eddy Pineiro’s 38-yard field goal in the first quarter elicited wild cheers from Bears’ fans. Little did they know those cheers would become boos by game’s end.

Pineiro’s kick was the Bears’ offensive highlight.

So Chicago has a kicker. The Packers have a defense.

That’s a fair trade.

“It was fun to watch,” Rodgers said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a performance like that. I give a ton of credit to (defensive coordinator) Mike Pettine and his staff and to those players … an incredible effort.”

The victory was LaFleur’s first in the NFL.

“I’m proud of our defense and the effort they gave,” LaFleur said. “I thought they were smothering.”

The offense, LaFleur said, is another matter.

In fact, Rodgers apologized to the first-year head coach after the game upon handing him the game ball.

“I promised I’ll be better,” Rodgers said.

“We didn’t do (the defense) a whole lot of favors with our performance on offense. But they came up with big plays every time we needed them.”

Crosby, Scott and Trevor Davis all were strong on special teams.

LaFleur said: “Our special teams really picked up the slack. Our offense has a lot to improve on, but I can’t tell you how proud I am of the effort we gave and to be able to come out of here with a victory.”

LaFleur gets to 2-0 on the strength of Aaron Jones and the running attack, and turnovers created by Pettine’s defense.
Prediction: Green Bay 23, Minnesota 20

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA

LaFleur’s team faces extreme challenge versus defending NFC North champs

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Are you ready for some football?

That is strictly a rhetorical question, especially when the NFL’s 100th season opens with Packers versus Bears in a prime-time matchup Thursday night at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

Green Bay fans have been anticipating this game since the 2019 schedule was released in April.

It marks the debut of first-year head coach Matt LaFleur and the unveiling of a retooled defense under coordinator Mike Pettine.

It also comes against the Packers’ NFC North rival and defending division champion Chicago Bears, who are coming off a 12-4 season in which their only home loss was a 38-31 setback against eventual Super Bowl champion New England.

The Bears believe they are better than last season, while the Packers know they are better.

The question is how much better?

Green Bay’s 6-9-1 disaster began with a promising 24-23 victory over the Bears in which the Packers erased a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to claim the win at Lambeau Field.

The Bears returned the favor with a 24-17 win over Green Bay in December to capture the division title at Soldier Field.

Much has happened since then.

The Bears suffered a dreadful 16-15 home loss to Philadelphia in the NFC Divisional Playoffs when the Eagles blocked Cody Parkey’s 43-yard field goal attempt on the game’s final play.

The Bears’ greatest offseason change – aside from Chuck Pagano replacing Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator – was to settle on a new kicker, Eddy Pineiro.

Chicago features five players ranked among the top 100 in ESPN’s rankings. It is no surprise that all five – OLB Khalil Mack, DT Akiem Hicks, S Eddie Jackson, CB Kyle Fuller and ILB Roquan Smith – play on defense.

Meantime, the Packers’ upheaval has been considerable.

Here are five burning questions going into the Packers’ opener:

** No. 1 – How will Aaron Rodgers function in LaFleur’s scheme?

Rodgers is the least of my worries. It is clear that LaFleur trusts his quarterback enough to give him the freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage when he sees fit.

To do otherwise would disarm one of Rodgers’ greatest weapons: His mind.

My greater concern is with the rest of the offensive players. Will they be able to put the vaunted Bears’ defense on its heels with pre-snap motion and deception? Or will Green Bay shoot itself in the cleats with pre-snap penalties and self-inflicted confusion?

It’s probably going to be a bit of both.

Essentially, every play is an un-scouted look for the Bears’ defense. I suspect Pagano – who is more aggressive than Fangio – may come out blitzing against Green Bay.

If the Packers’ offense is truly ready to roll, Rodgers and his primary weapons – Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Aaron Jones – just might make the Bears pay.

On the other hand, if they’re not in sync, Chicago’s aggressive style could hammer the Packers early and often.

I see a close, low-scoring slugfest Thursday night.

The team with the fewest turnovers will win.

** No. 2 – How much will Pettine’s 18th ranked defense improve given the influx of talent via free agency and the draft?

The Packers hope the improvement is drastic.

Green Bay spent $51 million on defensive free agents Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Adrian Amos. All are productive, more-than-capable pros entering their prime.

They also added OLB Rashan Gary and S Darnell Savage in the first round of the draft. Savage will start opposite Amos, while Gary will play in sub-packages on passing downs.

While sloppy tackling has been an issue during the preseason, I’ve got to believe Kenny Clark, Blake Martinez and the rest will be sharp come Thursday night.

** No. 3 – Do the Packers have anything that resembles a living, breathing, reliable running attack?

It is difficult to say. The scheme is new and neither Aaron Jones nor Jamaal Williams played in the preseason. My concern isn’t their running ability, but rather being mistake-free and in rhythm regarding screens and check-downs.

At least both have fresh legs.

** No. 4 – Are the Packers’ special teams units improved?

Punter J.K. Scott should be among the Green Bay defense’s top weapons. Scott’s distance and hang time can flip the field. Mason Crosby’s return is a good thing.

Trevor Davis and Darrius Shepherd are both quality return men, with Davis being first up against the Bears. It will be interesting to see if the Packers’ coverage units show up.

** No. 5 – When push comes to shove do the Packers have the ability to go face mask-to-face mask with the Bears in the trenches?

The addition of free agent Billy Turner at right guard and second-round pick Elgton Jenkins in reserve represent upgrades in the offensive line’s flexibility and tenacity.

The return of a healthy Bryan Bulaga at right tackle also gives the offensive line a semblance of experience and proficiency. David Bakhtiari, simply put, is among the NFL’s finest tackles.

Defensively, Clark is the tone-setter up front. He has the ability to wreak havoc and destroy plays on every snap. In addition, Montravius Adams finally has joined the party and rookie Kingsley Keke has shown flashes of being a disruptive force.

The Packers’ personnel upgrades don’t guarantee that they can hold up against the Bears’ offensive and defensive fronts, but at least they’ve got a fighting chance.

PREDICTION: Packers 26, Bears 24.

Rodgers has a habit of playing well at Soldier Field, much like his predecessor, Brett Favre.

Last year, the Packers and Bears were tied at 14-14 going into their December encounter at Chicago. Eventually, the Bears held on for a 24-17 victory, but given the Packers’ patchwork lineup and interim coach Joe Philbin, it was closer than the final score.

By Chris Havel
Special to Event USA

Rodgers’ future impossible to ignore after Colts’ franchise QB chooses to walk away

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Indianapolis Colts just went where no Green Bay football fan wants the Packers to go.

Truth be told, it’s only a matter of time.

The abrupt but not altogether unexpected retirement of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck during the weekend sent a shockwave throughout the NFL.

Naturally, that included Green Bay, where the most recent silly debate regarding Aaron Rodgers revolved around whether the 35-year-old quarterback should or shouldn’t play this preseason.

With three-fourths of the exhibition shenanigans mercifully navigated, including the “80 yards and a shroud of disgust” debacle in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the question is moot.

For better or worse – and without Rodgers it would be worse – bring on the Bears for the Sept. 5 opener at Soldier Field. The Colts only wish they had the chance to sit Luck before their regular-season opener. It turns out Luck seated himself.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur deserves credit for having the common sense to sit Rodgers and the other starters against the Raiders. The substandard field in Winnipeg demanded it.

A less-confident first-year coach might’ve forgotten what LaFleur recalled being told when he took the job: Trust your gut. So he trusted his gut and sat Rodgers and the rest in a 22-21 loss to the Oakland/Las Vegas Grudens last Thursday night.

So what was the point again about playing Rodgers?

Those Packers fans that whistle and moan about Rodgers not playing in the preseason should check their hole card again. It’s No. 12, the ace up their sleeve, the winning hand that beats all.

Consider the Colts.

Indianapolis was a minus 175 (bet $175 to win $100) wager to make the playoffs with Luck. Without him, the wager plummeted to plus 400 (bet $100 to win $400).

I’m not going to bother checking the Packers’ latest odds out of Las Vegas. I don’t have to. With Rodgers, the Packers are a serious threat to go deep into the post-season. Without him, they are the Arizona Cardinals minus Kyler Murray.

A year ago this week, Rodgers signed a four-year, $134 million contract extension. It included $98.2 million guaranteed plus a $57.5 million signing bonus. Rodgers realized (in real dollars) $80 million by March of this year.

Somehow it seems longer than a year ago that the Packers made Rodgers the NFL’s highest-paid player.

Clearly, the Packers and Rodgers are in this together.

Never mind that Brett Favre’s legacy in part might be having some Packers fans believe their All-World QB will play forever. Some fans were in denial with Favre. Some are in denial now.

Hell, I wish Rodgers could play forever.

The Packers just might win another Super Bowl in my lifetime.

Then again, Rodgers already has played forever, at least in football terms.

Consider this: Rodgers already has played TWICE AS LONG as Luck. Rodgers, who is entering his 15th season, was drafted in 2005. Luck didn’t enter the league until the Colts made him the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

After seven years, a battered and beaten Luck called it quits.

The sacks began piling up (sound familiar?), and so did the injuries. Despite having perhaps his best season in 2018 – Luck had career highs in completion percentage (67 percent), passing yards and quarterback rating – he opted to call it quits.

He threw for 39 touchdowns last year, just one off his career best, but it didn’t matter. He’d had enough at age 29.

Rodgers, for his part, hopes to play until he’s 40.

In an interview with NBC Sports’ Peter King last July, Rodgers articulated his intentions.

“My goal is to be able to move like I do or close to how I do now and still be able to do that at 40 … just because nobody’s been able to do that and still move around the same,” he told King. “Steve Young’s career was cut short in his late thirties, John Elway the same – he didn’t really move the same as when he was younger. So to be able to move the same way at 38, 39, 40 would be cool. That’s my aim.”

Rodgers is wise to focus on mobility.

It can be used to extend plays and make heroic throws downfield. It also can be used to escape disastrous hits and the consequences they bring.

A quarterback’s “escape ability” determines his longevity, which almost always comes down to two questions.

Can he stay healthy? Can he make plays downfield?

Rodgers can do both.

The two-time league MVP and Super Bowl XLV MVP always had superior mobility to Luck. Whereas the Colts’ quarterback – more along the Ben Roethlisberger mold – would stand in the pocket and take shots to the kisser, Rodgers evades them.

Still, he endured 49 sacks despite throwing away a record number of passes to avoid being hit in 2018. It’s a minor miracle Rodgers actually came through last season as healthy as he did.

How long will it last?

The truth is nobody knows. That’s what makes it scary.

What we do know is that Rodgers can’t keep getting hit so often, and that he can’t play forever.

With that said, my advice is to let the Packers’ GM worry about finding the next Rodgers, and quit stressing over the preseason.

Sit back and enjoy watching one of the NFL’s legends still play at a high level … certainly at a level high enough to give the Packers a real shot to KO the Bears in the season opener.

Live for moments like Thursday, Sept. 5, at Chicago.

Ultimately, only Rodgers and the football gods know how many of those moments the great No. 12 has left to play.

Don’t believe it? Ask a Colts fan. But be respectful.

They’re apt to be in denial, or mourning, or both.