Aaron Rodgers took the field on Monday night in what many believe could be his final playoff appearance, facing a tough 30-6 defeat against the Houston Texans. As speculation surrounds his future in football, we reflect on his remarkable postseason journey through significant statistics.
Immediately following the game, Rodgers chose not to discuss his football future. He emphasized his desire to avoid making an emotional decision regarding retirement, opting to remain silent on the matter during the postgame press conference.
Rodgers” playoff legacy includes 45 career touchdown passes, placing him just one behind Patrick Mahomes, who has 46. The all-time leader is Tom Brady, boasting an astounding 88 touchdown passes in the playoffs.
Throughout his playoff career, Rodgers has thrown just two pick-sixes, including what could be the final pass of his career in the game against the Texans.
At age 42, Rodgers is among three quarterbacks—alongside Drew Brees and Brady—who have started a playoff game at this advanced age. Brady notably played in eight playoff games after turning 42, while Brees did so shortly after his 42nd birthday in 2021.
In 22 playoff games, Rodgers has failed to throw a touchdown in three of those contests, including the recent loss. Notably, he did not find the end zone during the 2011 NFC Championship Game against the Bears, although the Green Bay Packers triumphed and eventually won Super Bowl XLV. His last playoff game with the Packers ended in a 13-10 defeat to the 49ers in 2022, where he also did not throw a touchdown.
Rodgers has not celebrated a playoff victory in five seasons; his last win came during the 2020 playoffs when he led the Packers to a divisional round victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Following that triumph, Green Bay was eliminated in the NFC Championship Game by Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went on to win the Super Bowl.
Currently, only eight quarterbacks in history have secured more playoff victories than Rodgers. Brady leads the pack with 35 wins, followed by Mahomes with 17, Joe Montana with 16, and a few others, including Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger, who each have 13 wins. Rodgers is tied with Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, each having 11 playoff victories.
In terms of offensive performance, Rodgers has thrown three or more touchdowns in eight playoff games, with two of those games featuring four touchdown passes. His postseason success with the Packers includes a standout performance in their Super Bowl win over the Steelers, where he completed 24 of 39 passes for 309 yards, three touchdowns, and no turnovers.
Since Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to their last playoff victory in 2016, nine different quarterbacks, including Rodgers, have started at least one game for the franchise. Unfortunately for Rodgers and the Steelers, they could not break that streak in the recent playoff encounter.
In total, Rodgers has achieved 11 playoff victories and an equal number of losses in his career. He maintains a remarkable ratio of 31 more touchdown passes than interceptions, with 45 touchdown passes to 14 interceptions. However, he did not improve these statistics in the recent game against the Texans.
Reflecting on the time elapsed, an impressive 5,846 days have passed since Rodgers made his playoff debut with the Packers in 2010, leading us to ponder whether this recent game will mark the end of his storied postseason career.
