Putting Aaron Rodgers' Performance Against the Falcons In Historical Context

It’s pretty hard to say that it was one of the best playoff performances ever, though. There are so many candidates, and the Falcons weren’t exactly a dominant defense coming into this game. It’s also difficult to compare stylistically across eras. How do you compare Bradshaw’s 14 for 18 for 276 yards against the Colts in 1976, when pass defenses were allowed to do so much more, and rushing was more prominent, to a performance today? If you want to get a decent look at the candidates for best games, you can start with this list.

By passer rating, Rodgers’ game (31-36, 366 yards, three TDs) was 32nd best in the playoffs for passers with a minimum 15 passes. If you go by adjusted yards per attempt, it ranks 49th.

Now, if you look at all three of his starts, he’s off to an incredible start, and all the talk of him not being able to win big games seems incredibly silly. He’s had a passer rating over 120.0 in all three playoff starts in his career. Passer rating is subject to era bias, as completion percentages have been climbing steadily and interceptions have been dropping over time, but it’s still impressive. The only guys with more games in the playoffs with a 120.0+ rating: Joe Montana(5), Troy Aikman(4), and Peyton Manning(4).

[photo via Getty]