The book on Aaron Rodgers has been all about his short passes. With the NFL’s fastest release, he’s getting the ball out quick and not pushing it downfield. There’s certainly evidence to back it up. His air yards are among the lowest in football. There are kids on the JV team testing defenses downfield more than Rodgers. Right?
Not so. At least not completely. As this chart shows, Rodgers’ deep ball percentage is roughly among the NFL average at about 11 percent, putting him far away of other notable names.
Rodgers beats out Denver’s Bo Nix, Detroit’s Jared Goff, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. among others. There are at least 14 quarterbacks behind Rodgers on that chart, and if Cleveland’s Dillon Gabriel had enough snaps to qualify, he probably would sit behind, too.
Of course, there are plenty of quarterbacks ahead, too. No one aired it out the way Russell Wilson did, a familiar sight to Steelers’ fans and one that got Wilson sent straight to the bench. Replacement Jaxson Dart has been similarly aggressive, though far less effective. Joe Flacco, now Pittsburgh’s Week 7 opponent, is the least effective downfield. That runs counter to his big-arm profile meant to get the ball to WRs JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Rodgers’ effectiveness is among the league’s better marks. Clearly above-average. Only a handful of names are clearly ahead: Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold and Maye, all of whom are throwing deep as often or less than Rodgers.
It’s clear Pittsburgh has work to do. The deep passing game needs to be a bigger part of the offense. To utilize the speed at receiver. Jonnu Smith is used more like a running back than tight end, and Pat Freiermuth hasn’t had many downfield chances (and dropped one he did early in the season). But the numbers suggest Rodgers’ usage is the NFL norm and his effectiveness has been solid. A couple more big plays tomorrow against the Cleveland Browns wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings, though.
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