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Is Rodgers the right guy for the Pack?

He's only 10-13 as a starter, but he's the least of Green Bay's problems. Just look at his efficiency numbers and weigh them against his sack totals.

By Mark Craig

November 4, 2009 at 4:44PM

Here's an interesting statistical comparison:

. Philip Rivers' 105.5 passer rating ranked No. 1 in the NFL last season. In 16 games, he was sacked 25 times.

. Aaron Rodgers' 110.4 passer rating ranks No. 1 in the NFL this season. In SEVEN games, he has been sacked an NFL-high 31 times.

Wow.

Rodgers was sacked 34 times in 16 games last season, so if he goes down four times against Tampa Bay on Sunday, he will have surpassed last year's total in just eight games.

Rodgers' lofty passer rating and his ridiculously high sack total are one of the stranger contrasts in the league at the halfway point this season.

Peyton Manning is No. 2 in passer rating (109.3). He's been sacked five times. Drew Brees is No. 3 in passer rating (107.6). He's been sacked 11 times.

Despite the constant pressure, Rodgers has thrown 14 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Manning has thrown four picks, while Brees has thrown six.

The Packers' offensive line has been a mess all season. Rodgers also has a tendency to hang onto the ball too long. Just ask Ray Edwards, the Vikings' defensive end who picked up one of his sacks on Sunday while chasing Rodgers clear across the field.

Rodgers' sack numbers should come down the rest of the season. After all, he's done playing the Vikings, who sacked him 14 times in two games.

Although Rodgers is only 10-13 as a starter, he's the answer at QB in Green Bay. He will have a long and successful career there if he doesn't have to absorb 65 sacks every 23 games.

about the writer

Mark Craig

Sports reporter

Mark Craig has covered the NFL nearly every year since Brett Favre was a rookie back in 1991. A sports writer since 1987, he is covering his 30th NFL season out of 37 years with the Canton (Ohio) Repository (1987-99) and the Star Tribune (1999-present).