Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 this week and will not play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Obviously this development caught a lot of folks off guard, for a myriad of reasons.
Prior to the news breaking, however, fans were eagerly anticipating Rodgers’ showdown against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The only thing taking a bit of shine off the proceedings was Mahomes’ struggles thus far this year.
During a recent appearance on the The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers delivered a strong message to Mahomes regarding his recent issues: don’t listen to the criticism, you’ll be fine.
“When it comes to Pat, I’m not worried about him,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show.
“And I don’t think anybody really should be worried about him. When you’re a transcendent talent like that, it’s only a matter of time (before you struggle some). …The most difficult thing is sustained greatness, I think in any sport. There’s an idea of plateauing at your peak and being able to sustain an incredibly high level of play that puts you in the upper echelon. And I believe that’s Pat’s destiny.
“He’s already established an incredible level of play, and he probably will for the next 10 or 15 years, depending how long he wants to play. But that is definitely the most difficult thing because they are just waiting for you to show a chink in the armor, a slight fall off so that they can, you know, they can bury you.”
Obviously Rodgers’ kind words will serve as some sort of consolation for Mahomes, but they still don’t change the facts at hand. Through eight games this year, Mahomes has recorded three fumbles, 10 interceptions and has been sacked 16 times. As a result, the Chiefs are 4-4 and have yet to record back-to-back wins.
Now that’s a Halloween costume. https://t.co/WVK6W11K9M
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 1, 2021
A lot of analysis has gone into attempting to figure out why Mahomes is having so many problems. People have reviewed videos that seem to show his rapidly deteriorating mental health, as well as wondered if his seemingly icy relationship with certain family members is weighing him down.
Whatever the cause, clearly Rodgers believes Mahomes will ultimately get it together at some point. Whether that assertion eventually proves to be correct or not remains to be seen.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
