Aaron Rodgers: 'If we're starting to freak out after one week, we're in big trouble'

Green Bay Packers MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to downplay the club’s horrific Week 1 beatdown at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Rodgers noted Thursday that freaking out over a bad loss is a way for things to snowball.

“If we’re starting to freak out after one week, we’re in big trouble,” Rodgers said, via ESPN.

Rodgers said his laid-back approach following the 38-3 loss was more for his teammates to understand that one week doesn’t make a team, regardless of the result. He wasn’t talking to the outside world.

“Now, I wasn’t trying to be inspiring,” Rodgers said of his postgame message. “I was trying to put the loss in the context where it deserves to be put. And that is, it’s not acceptable, but it’s just one game and we’re not gonna be held prisoner mentally by that poor performance.”

The man who once told Packers fans to R-E-L-A-X is again using the brake pedal after a poor start to a season, albeit in a less-catchy manner.

“I’m not going to make it bigger than it was,” Rodgers said. “I’ll let you guys on the outside world do all that. Look, we’ve won a lot of games around here. We’ve lost a few. But you move on. It doesn’t matter if you play incredible and put up 50 or you get blown out. You move on to the next opponent.

“There shouldn’t be some big drastic change and alteration the way that we do things, the way we practice, the way we prepare. If it’s good enough to get you to this point, then it’s good enough from this point forward. I haven’t changed any of the stuff that I’ve been doing.”

Rodgers’ approach has served him well in the past. Over the last 10 seasons, the QB has had 18 pass TDs and 1 INT in seven starts (5-2 W-L) in the next game following a 2-plus INT contest — he has never thrown 2-plus INTs in consecutive games.

Rodgers has had a sub-50 passer rating in three previous starts before Sunday’s 36.8 dud. In his next start that season, Rodgers has gone 3-0, averaged 335.0 pass YPG, posted nine pass TDs and no INTs, and had a 100-plus passer rating in all the games.

So, yeah, Rodgers’ even-keel approach works.

He’ll get another chance to prove it in prime time Monday night at Lambeau Field against the Detroit Lions.

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