Aaron Rodgers at his best is still probably better than anyone else in the NFL

You knew early on Monday night that Aaron Rodgers was sharp. Then he made a throw to Davante Adams that announced the Green Bay Packers weren’t going to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rodgers’ end-zone throw to Adams in the second quarter was vintage Rodgers. He fired a fastball with a flick of the wrist and had an impossibly small window to squeeze it past Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll to Adams. And Rodgers couldn’t have walked over to Adams and placed the ball in his hands any more accurately. It somehow got past Carroll and to Adams for a 20-yard score, giving the Packers a 14-7 lead. The Packers never gave up that lead. Even in Rodgers’ incredible career, that was a highlight throw for him.

Who knows if this Packers win signals anything other than them not rolling over and dying before the end of the season. There are still significant issues that led to a 4-6 record coming into Monday night. And the Eagles weren’t very good, especially on offense. So don’t overstate the Packers’ 27-13 win quite yet. This doesn’t necessarily signal the start of something special. Maybe this was just a brief respite for Packers fans in a disappointing season.

But the Packers aren’t done yet. Rodgers wouldn’t let them quietly fade away.

Despite suffering a hamstring injury in the second half that left him limping, Rodgers was 30 of 39 for 313 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. And he could have posted a much better line if the Packers needed it. They didn’t. The Eagles weren’t competitive for most of the game. Green Bay’s defense, which had been struggling, mostly shut Philadelphia down. Rodgers wasn’t asked to do it all, which must have felt like a relief. But he was sharp.

Rodgers was on point early, when he hit Adams for his first of two touchdowns on Green Bay’s first drive. He was good right to the end too. With about three minutes left the Packers went for it on fourth-and-5, and Rodgers delivered a picture perfect back-shoulder pass to Jordy Nelson, who got away with offensive pass interference. That catch ruined any small hope the Eagles had at a comeback.

Rodgers’ play has been criticized, and a lot of the heat has been deserved. He has struggled at times. He hasn’t seemed comfortable in the rhythm in the offense for most of the season and he hasn’t made the magical improvisational plays he had for so many years. His frustration has been obvious at times.

Even though Rodgers hasn’t been great all season, when he’s locked in he’s still probably the best player in the NFL. If anyone doubted that, just re-watch Monday night’s game, or even just that phenomenal touchdown pass to Adams.

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Follow @YahooSchwab