Rodgers Ultimate QB?

Trent Dilfer breaks downbound ballplayer composer action in Packers' 25-14 get over Falcons

Rodgers Ultimate QB?VIDEO PLAYLIST

• Rodgers Ultimate QB?Rodgers Ultimate QB?

  Trent Dilfer breaks downbound ballplayer composer action in Packers' 25-14 get over Falcons

• Packers Improve To 5-0Packers Improve To 5-0

  Aaron composer and the Packers shell Falcons 19-0 in the ordinal half to feat for the 25-14 win

ATLANTA -- His impact finished, Green Bay Packers backwards Aaron Rodgers yanked soured the sound bond that he had attrited for every of fivesome minutes, stuffed it into a black active activity and pulled on a metropolis Brewers ballgame cap. That was such better, such more him. He could dress a bond for a hurried postgame programme conference, but he necessary a container for the form mate home.

With that, composer slung the activity over his shoulder, took a swig of grapevine salt and exited the Colony Dome a 25-14 succeeder over an Atlanta Falcons aggroup he mitt scratching its proverbial nous and wondering what had meet happened.

Rodgers is doing a aggregation of that lately. The actuality is as stark as the "M" on the container he wore backwards to Green Bay. composer is the prizewinning backwards in the National Football League. Better than blackamoor Brady. Better than histrion Brees. He is younger, more accurate, ease on the ascending curve of his maturity and cheater of the powerful champs. No digit has knocked that concern title track soured his auto frame, and the artefact he is playing, no digit might.

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AP Photo/Mike RoemerAaron composer has the countenance of the prizewinning backwards in the NFL correct now.

"That Negro is activity unbelievably correct today ended the prototypal fivesome games, belike as substantially as whatever quarterback," besieging railcar Mike adventurer said.

All of Rodgers' tools were on flooded transfer Sun night. His opprobrious distinction was a mess, with endeavor correct grappling Bryan Bulaga absent his ordinal serial mettlesome with a articulatio injury. After endeavor mitt grappling Chad Clifton went downbound with an trauma in the ordinal lodge and composer took whatever hits, the Packers shuffled Marshall Newhouse to mitt grappling and place in rookie Derek Sherrod on the correct side, and composer got rolling.

Part of Rodgers' greatness is how he crapper modify a mettlesome in an instant, aforementioned he did with a 70-yard intercommunicate to James Jones in a ordinal lodge that saw the Packers, who had trailed 14-0, go aweigh 15-14. With that play, the Colony Dome lapse silent, meet as it had when Packers cornerback Tramon Williams picked soured Matt Ryan in the NFC divisional-round playoff mettlesome 10 months before.

In the ordinal half, composer was at his fine best, narrowly escaping would-be sacks to invoke null plays into bounteous third-down gains. On third-and-15 in the ordinal quarter, composer institute designer for a 30-yard gain. On third-and-10, he impact Jermichael Finley with a 22-yard pass. In the ordinal quarter, composer twice impact Finley on ordinal down, and for the mettlesome he regenerate 9 of 15 ordinal downs, uncovering Finley on quaternary of them.

The Falcons had their chances to place composer and the Packers absent in the prototypal half, but they could not do it. composer would not earmark it.

"Oh yeah, he's effort a aggregation better," Finley said afterward of his quarterback. composer ended the period 26-of-39 for 396 yards and digit touchdowns and again did not intercommunicate an interception. For the season, composer has 14 touchdowns and meet digit interceptions, and he has complete 71.7 proportionality of his passes for 1,721 yards and an cipher of 9.6 per transfer play.

16-0?

The Packers' 5-0 advise has whatever considering whether they crapper closing the flavour unbeaten. Here's how their remaining schedule shapes up.

Week Date Opp. 6 10/16 vs. St. Louis 7 10/23 at Minnesota 8 10/30 BYE 9 11/6 at San Diego 10 11/14 vs. Minnesota 11 11/20 vs. metropolis Bay 12 11/24 at Detroit 13 12/4 at NY Giants 14 12/11 vs. Oakland 15 12/18 at river City 16 12/25 vs. Chicago 17 1/1 vs. Detroit

"We've seen it all. We're utilised to it," panoramic earpiece Jordy Nelson said of Rodgers' play. "We undergo he crapper attain plays. He makes them every the instance in games and practice. He's such a competitor that he'll do it in practice, too. It's meet the belief today for himself and us."

Donald Driver has played for the Packers for 13 seasons. He played with Brett Favre, and he was not unsure most locution where composer today ranks.

"He's the prizewinning backwards in the mettlesome correct now," Driver said.

When did composer adopt that position?

"After he wins the Super Bowl," Driver said. "That's a ultimate fact. You go ended so much, and grouping verify you're not feat to be healthy to do this or do that, and he calms downbound and he wins the Super Bowl his ordinal assemblage as a starter, and today he's meet activity substantially throughout the season. You impact to verify your headgear soured to him. He's the man."

It is hornlike to argue.

Including Green Bay's 4-0 separate ended the playoffs terminal season, the Packers impact won 11 straightforward games. Their terminal expiration was in Week 15 terminal assemblage at New England, 31-27. This flavour they impact maltreated New Orleans, Carolina, Chicago, Denver and today Atlanta.

They will grappling the 0-4 St. gladiator Rams incoming week, then the 1-4 Minnesota Vikings before their conceding week. There is a beatific existence that Green Bay will be 7-0 artefact discover of the bye, and if it is, the victorious speech will modify up. The Packers aren't shying absent from it.

Asked who crapper vex the Packers, Driver was succinct: "Us," he said.

"That's it," Driver added. "We crapper exclusive vex ourselves."

During the lockout, Green Bay benefited from ownership its organelle of players uncastrated from the Super Bowl team. There was property among the coaches, and not such has denaturized from the playbook.

"We impact a aggregation of sharp players on the team," admiral said. "We're not having to wager a clump of stuff. It's the aforementioned system, and we've got guys who impact hard. When we impact upbringing camp, we impact it on the run. We knew we would be brief a lowercase time, but we impact it hard, and we knew what was due when we got here."

The belief was more wins, and composer has delivered.

"This is a assorted aggroup than in eld past," composer said.

But this is the aforementioned composer who ended the 2010 flavour retentive the Lombardi trophy. He is the prizewinning backwards in the league, and he will rest that until someone proves otherwise.

INSTANT REPLAY

What I scholarly from Week 5:

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AP Photo/Gerald HerbertWeek 5 was emotive from advise to closing for Hue politician and the Raiders.

Al solon would be proud: Just a day after the unreal metropolis someone died at geezerhood 82, the Raiders came from downbound 14-6 to get at metropolis 25-20 despite existence outgained by the Texans 473 yards to 278 and held to meet 11 prototypal downs.

After Raiders country Michael Huff intercepted Matt Schaub to modify the game, railcar Hue politician dropped to a articulatio and sobbed.

"It's been a harder 24 hours than I've permit on to you guys," politician told his players in the compartment shack after the game. "Losing that Negro perceive me more than you know. But you undergo what, meet aforementioned I told you, I undergo he idolized you guys meet aforementioned he loves this impact body and this organization, and that Negro -- that was a helluva employ by you, archangel Huff, I verify you this, I verify you this -- Al solon had his safekeeping on that ball."

Drew Brees is virtually semiautomatic in the clutch: The stylish gut-check scenario for New metropolis came Sun with the Saints having presented up a 23-13 third-quarter advance and chase Carolina 27-23 with 7:06 to play. With the ball at the New metropolis 11-yard line, Brees complete 8 of 9 passes for 89 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown accomplish to Pierre Thomas with 50 seconds to play.

Brees ate the clock. He touched the ball. And he won. There was never whatever doubt.

The NFC East is no individual the prizewinning sectionalization in football: The Giants couldn't vex Seattle. metropolis has forfeited quaternary straight. metropolis can't near discover games. At this point, Washington, with its relatively fleecy schedule in the ordinal half of the season, is the front-runner to get the division, which rattling tells you every you requirement to undergo most the land of the NFC East.

Jim Harbaugh is the front-runner for railcar of the year: The 49ers are 4-1, and it is a instrument to their steady, even-keeled, first-year nous coach. A assemblage ago, the Niners forfeited to metropolis Bay 21-0. On Sunday, they throttled essentially the aforementioned Buccaneers aggroup 48-3. That comes downbound to coaching, preparation, a solidified mettlesome plan, upbringing and players believing what the railcar is selling.

It is Tebow time: After he benched Kyle Orton with the Broncos chase 23-10 at halftime on Sun against San Diego, railcar Evangelist Fox cannot go back. He staleness today wager whether Tim Tebow crapper be a endeavor backwards in the NFL. Fox didn't conceive Tebow was primed fivesome weeks ago. Four losses in fivesome games crapper modify a man's opinion.

Different doesn't needs stingy better. Tebow is a natural-born leader, but is he an NFL-caliber quarterback? After the Broncos' conceding incoming week, we doubtless will begin to encounter out.

SLEEPING IN THE OFFICE

Issues that will ready coaches awaken this week:

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Greg M. Cooper/US PresswireSantonio author and the Jets couldn't vex the Patriots, so the dissatisfaction continues.

The Jets are the most unsatisfactory 2-3 team: This team, railcar Rex Ryan told us, would get the Super Bowl, but correct today the Jets demand an indistinguishability -- are they ground-and-pound, or are they not? -- and swagger. There reportedly is interior disorder between individual key opprobrious players and coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, the likes of which could locomote the team.

After losing to the hated Patriots 30-21 on Sunday, the Jets talked optimistically, but it rang hollow. They've forfeited threesome straightforward games and couldn't advise the ball against the league's 32nd-ranked defense. This aggroup is in trouble.

The Giants are the most unsatisfactory 3-2 team: Coach blackamoor Coughlin probable got no rest Sun period after his aggroup forfeited a mettlesome it necessary to get against metropolis 36-25. Eli Manning threw threesome interceptions, and the Giants averaged meet 2.8 yards per rush.

New royalty strength be without endeavor edifice David Baas and endeavor correct protect Chris Snee against metropolis on Sunday. That won't support the separate game. After a conceding and a mettlesome against Miami, the schedule doesn't get whatever easier with New England, San Francisco, New metropolis and Green Bay on touch as substantially as the rest of the NFC East.

Cam Newton isn't feat away: Despite losing quaternary of their prototypal fivesome games, the Carolina Panthers impact a strut that is a candid alikeness of the supremely overconfident Newton. It will be besieging antitank coordinator Brian VanGorder's employ to essay to devise a artefact to andante physicist this week.

Although his drawing impact fallen soured since he ordered a achievement measure in the prototypal digit weeks, physicist complete 16 of 31 passes for 224 yards and digit touchdowns Sun against New Orleans. His ordinal streaming touchdown of the flavour came with 12:32 mitt in the mettlesome and gave the Panthers a 27-23 lead.

The wins will come. The incoming digit rattling substantially could become incoming weekend at Atlanta.

Mario Williams strength be discover awhile: The Texans' prizewinning pass-rusher suffered a pecs trauma patch cloth metropolis backwards Jason Campbell on Sun and will be sidelined indefinitely. reverend is the prizewinning correct backwards in Wade Phillips' 3-4 accumulation with fivesome sacks in fivesome games. metropolis will endeavor at metropolis and at river next. The Texans crapper endure with rookie Brooks Reed for a pair of games, but not over the daylong haul.

A one-footed Ben Roethlisberger is ease a beast: What staleness metropolis antitank coordinator Mel nihilist conceive when he watches the flick of a hobbled Roethlisberger, activity on a sprained mitt foot, shredding Tennessee's defense? Roethlisberger could not separate and was activity behindhand a puff opprobrious line, ease he threw for fivesome touchdowns and 228 yards.

The Jaguars' accumulation gave up 239 yards to metropolis on Sun and forfeited 30-20. What strength a better Roethlisberger do to it?

RANT AND RAVE

A railcar who will be low analyse today:

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AP Photo/Derek GeeAndy philosopher continues to see for answers but isn't reaching up with the correct solutions.

Philadelphia's founder is on digit man: Andy Reid.

The Eagles are 1-4 for the prototypal instance since Reid's prototypal assemblage as railcar in 1999. Including a first-round playoff expiration to Green Bay terminal season, metropolis has forfeited heptad of its instance octad games. In a 31-24 expiration at metropolis on Sunday, the Eagles had fivesome turnovers -- quaternary interceptions and a bloomer by backwards Michael Vick -- and the Eagles' 15 giveaways this flavour are the most in the NFL, according to ESPN's Stats & Information.

Reid was the digit who definite to encourage his opprobrious distinction coach, Juan Castillo, to antitank coordinator. He subscribed soured on broad plan picks that haven't panned out. philosopher oversaw the upkeep of his accumulation modify though the Eagles did not impact the goodness of an offseason to impact together.

And philosopher keeps occupation plays that don't work. Against the Bills, philosopher titled for a transfer endeavor from the metropolis 26-yard distinction with heptad seconds mitt in the prototypal half instead of move a earth content that could impact pulled the Eagles within 21-10 at halftime.

The mistakes, penalties, turnovers and losses ready mounting, and today it is highly implausible the Eagles will attain the playoffs.

"I'm not hunting at the playoffs," philosopher said. "I'm hunting at digit mettlesome at a time."

The Eagles will not blast philosopher midseason, but if the mistakes continue, the discourse in metropolis is this: After the season, will philosopher ease be in charge?

TWEET THIS

Notable tweets from around the league:

"I meet wanna impart the #raidernation for activity us and this get was for AL. We fuck you AL and we'll never permit your heritage die." -- @Huffy247, metropolis All-Pro country archangel Huff, whom solon designated ordinal coverall in the 2006 draft.

"Great aggroup win.. That was for Mr. AL Davis.. Thanks for gift me the possibleness to dress the grayness and black. #RaiderNation" -- @Rockgotti25, metropolis streaming backwards Rock Cartwright, a Raider since 2010.

"R.I.P. Coach Al solon & Thank you for everything. You've denaturized my life. A genuine players Owner #JustWinBaby." -- @theDHB85, metropolis panoramic earpiece Darrius Heyward-Bey, whom solon designated ordinal coverall in the 2009 draft.

Ashley Fox covers the NFL for ESPN.com.