Aaron Rodgers is back to his scintillating best for the Green Bay Packers and, on Tuesday, he took aim at those who questioned him during the 2019 campaign.
Rodgers' superb start to the 2020 season has helped the Packers surge to a 4-0 record as they look to go one better than last campaign when they lost in the NFC Championship game.
Green Bay finished last year 13-3, though many believed the Packers were fortunate to reach that record, with Rodgers' transition to head coach Matt LaFleur's offense appearing far from seamless.
There can be no doubts the Packers' 4-0 start to this year is deserved, with Green Bay's points differential of plus 41 through four games the highest in the NFC.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers was asked if being in his second year of LaFleur's offense is an advantage compared to last year.
"It does help being in a second-year [offense] for sure, I feel a lot more comfortable," he replied.
"But … I sometimes laugh when people talk about down years for me, 'cause a lot of times down years for me are career years for most quarterbacks."
Aaron Rodgers was excellent against the Falcons on intermediate passes, targeting the slot and on longer dropbacks.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 6, 2020
Intermediate (10-19 AY)
6/7, 119 yds, TD (+30.4% CPOE)
Slot
6/7, 75 yds, 4 TD (+23.6%)
2.5+ seconds
10/14, 182 yds, 2 TD (+13.6%)#ATLvsGB | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/x43gIkGimH
It is tough to dispute Rodgers' claim. Though his completion percentage in 2019 dipped to 62 - his worst performance in that category since 2015 - he still had 4,002 yards passing with 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions. His interception percentage of 0.7 was the best in the NFL.
Through four games this year, Rodgers is completing 70.5 per cent of his passes and has already racked up 1,214 yards and 13 touchdowns with zero interceptions. Additionally, he leads the league in adjusted net yards per attempt with an average of 10.13.