The Carolina Panthers quarterback lit up the NFL last season. But it’s hard to maintain such excellence when you’re let down by your supporting cast
No two quarterbacks in the NFL have the same supporting cast. Playbooks, offensive lines, receivers and coaches all affect how easy it is for a quarterback to do his job, and have a huge impact on his statistical output because it creates the margin for error that he is afforded.
Take Aaron Rodgers for example. Rodgers hasn’t changed his level of play much this year. But how he is perceived has changed because his receivers have recently been getting open more consistently and, most importantly, are catching the ball more consistently. Over the first eight games of this season, Rodgers was the target of widespread criticism. His numbers weren’t reaching expectations and the Packers were a .500 football team. Rodgers has played to roughly the same level since Week 9 but now his name is being mentioned in the MVP conversation. That is a direct reflection on how Rodgers’ supporting cast has impacted his production. After eight games, Rodgers had lost 28 completions for at least 405 yards and at least four touchdowns to receiver error. You can’t account for yards lost after the catch, hence the use of “at least” here. Rodgers was on pace to lose more yards to receiver error than any quarterback from last year except for Cam Newton.
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