Published Nov. 29, 2018 on Sports Illustrated
Is he going to say it?
Twice a week, every week, for the past month, Aaron Rodgers has stood in front of a sea of recorders, cameras and phones, all patiently waiting to capture the speech. In 2014, it was “R-E-L-A-X.” In 2016, “run the table.” But now it’s getting late. Rodgers and the Packers have just lost a Sunday Night Football game in Minnesota, falling to 4-6-1 on the season. Those reporters, like the rest of the football-watching world, are still waiting for the quarterback to say something—anything—that will ensure the Green Bay Packers’ 2018 season will turn out O.K. Instead, Rodgers stands at the podium, left foot casually crossed in front of his right, and stoically repeats a variation of this phrase: “We’re going to need some help.”
It doesn’t feel like 2016, when they fell to 4-6 then ran the table, making it to the NFC championship. It doesn’t feel like 2014, when they were blown out in two of their first three games before flipping the switch, finishing 12-4 and coming within an onside kick recovery of the Super Bowl. As November turns into December, the Packers face the prospect of missing the playoffs with a healthy Rodgers for the first time since 2008—his first year as the starter. Observers can’t help but wonder: What is wrong with the Packers?