5 Ways the Green Bay Packers Can Better Support Aaron Rodgers

During the Green Bay Packers' 4-0 start to the 2020 NFL season, the team appeared to be nearly unstoppable. The defense was opportunistic, Aaron Jones and the ground game were rolling, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked like a front-runner for league MVP.

Rodgers threw 13 touchdowns and no interceptions during the winning streak.

Then a date with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers happened. The Packers couldn't get going on the ground, Rodgers made a couple of critical errors—including a pick-six—and Green Bay went on to get dominated 38-10.

"You don't ever want to lose like this," Rodgers said, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

The 36-year-old quarterback remains the most valuable player on the Packers roster, but he is going to have the occasional shaky outing. If Green Bay wants Sunday's loss to be a bump in the road and not the start of a trend, it needs to ensure it has the pieces in place to survive those rare occasions.

Here, we'll examine five ways the Packers can better support Rodgers moving forward.       

The Packers weren't able to run against Tampa Bay, and that's not surprising. Tampa ranks first in run defense and has allowed just 3.0 yards per carry on the season. 

However, Green Bay needs to get back to running the football. They have a premier back in Aaron Jones, who already has 550 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns, and quality depth in AJ Dillon and Jamaal Williams.

Green Bay ranks 11th in rushing attempts per game, but running even more could allow Rodgers to play more efficiently and to survive the season (more on that momentarily).

The Packers will have a prime opportunity in Week 7 against the Houston Texans. Houston ranks dead-last in both rushing yards allowed (177.5 per game) and yards allowed per carry (5.4).   

The Packers parted with offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga in the offseason, but that move could haunt them throughout the year. While Rodgers has only been sacked seven times in five games, he's been on the receiving end of 30 hurries and 13 hits.

According to Demovsky, the Bucs defense pressured Rodgers 12 times, and he completed just two of seven pass attempts for 10 yards when under pressure. ESPN Stats & Info noted he was blitzed 17 times, tying the highest number of single-game blitzes he's received over the past two campaigns.

Improving Rodgers' pass protection could be a two-step process. Step 1 would be for head coach Matt LaFleur to call different protection schemes and/or shorter pass patterns. It wouldn't hurt to consider trade options before as a Step 2.

With the Nov. 3 trade deadline quickly approaching, Green Bay would be wise to at least consider any and all potential replacements for linemen not named David Bakhtiari or Corey Linsley.

If that requires a trade or a foray into free agency, so be it.        

The Packers failed to bolster their receiving corps in the offseason—aside from adding wideout Devin Funchess, who ultimately opted out of the 2020 campaign. While this was a major complaint of Packers fans heading into the season, it was largely forgotten during the 4-0 start.

However, the reality is that general manager Brian Gutekunst should bolster the receiving corps.

While the Packers rank a respectable 14th in passing yards per game, they lack reliable options after No. 1 receiver Davante Adams. Despite being limited to three games by a hamstring injury, Adams leads the team with 23 receptions.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is second among wideouts with 15 catches, but he's been targeted 30 times. A 50 percent catch rate does not scream reliability. Allen Lazard had core muscle surgery, and his timetable for a return is unclear.

Green Bay should look at the trade market or think about adding a free agent like Mohamed Sanu or Taylor Gabriel.    

While improving the run defense wouldn't directly benefit Rodgers, it would help put him in better game situations and keep the pressure off him.

The run defense proved to be a fatal flaw in the 2019 postseason, and as the weakest aspect of Green Bay's defense, which ranks 20th in points allowed, it was a big part of the problem against Tampa Bay.

While the Packers rank 15th in run defense, they are 23rd in yards allowed per carry. The Buccaneers racked up 158 rushing yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry Sunday, which allowed them to dictate the tempo of the game even with Green Bay winning the time-of-possession battle.

Once again, the trade market could be an avenue toward remedying this. Or perhaps the Packers could kick the tires on a free agent like Preston Brown or Brooks Reed. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine might also want to consider adjusting his play-calling to put more emphasis on the run.

Green Bay is going to face quality running teams down the stretch, including a Minnesota Vikings squad that may have Dalvin Cook back in Week 8 and the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9.

As we've already discussed, the Packers offensive line is far from perfect, and Rodgers took a beating in Week 6. However, some of the shots Rodgers took were avoidable.

This is because he was still in the game when the Packers were down by 28 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, and Rodgers took a final sack with just over nine minutes in regulation.

Tom Boyle finished the game and took a sack of his own on Green Bay's final possession.

Rodgers is the biggest key to Green Bay potentially making a Super Bowl run this season, and the Packers must ensure he remains healthy and available over the next 11-plus weeks.

*Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.