Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times in the Green Bay Packers’ Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. While acknowledging the poor play of the line, right guard T.J. Lang put some of the blame on the quarterback himself.
“It felt like a combination of a lot of things,” Lang said, via Ryan Wood, USA Today Network. “I know we tend to get blamed up front a lot for those sacks. We’ve got to do a better job blocking. We’ve got to do a better job of staying on time with our throws. Everybody plays a part in that.”
A few points need to be made.
One, criticism of a teammate, no matter how thinly veiled, should probably be kept in house. This is especially true when Rodgers is the teammate in question.
Two, the same thing that Lang criticized Rodgers for — holding the ball too long — is often one of his greatest assets. Or, have we already forgotten Rodgers leading the undermanned Packers to a 10-6 record in 2015? Rodgers completed a lot of passes to receivers who would not have been open if he was on time with his throws.
Three, in the case of Sunday night, Lang is absolutely right. The stats back it up.
#Packers QB Aaron Rodgers' time to throw on 5 sacks vs. Vikings, per my stopwatch…
3.38
3.48
2.41
3.58
2.96
Average: 3.16 seconds— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) September 19, 2016
Rodgers didn’t adjust well to the Minnesota blitz on Sunday. It sure didn’t seem like he was holding the ball to buy time. Instead, Rodgers generally looked rattled and indecisive, which is not something often said about the two-time MVP.
Holding the ball for a long time is one thing. Holding the ball for a long time against a team applying constant pressure is another. That’s what the Vikings were doing, and they were doing it from all sides.
When that happens, a quarterback has to get rid of the ball sooner. When he doesn’t, he gets sacked. When a quarterback is sacked, a fumble is a risk. Rodgers was sacked five times, coughing up the ball three times in the process.
Rodgers holding the ball for too long is not always a fair criticism. But while Lang should have kept it in house, his assessment of Sunday’s performance was spot on.