As if we needed another way to document how the Green Bay Packers’ 2015 season unfolded, or imploded, there’s even a stat for throwaways.
Pro Football Focus, which puts every play under a microscope, just told us that in 2015 Aaron Rodgers had 37 throwaways. That’s a dozen more than his previous high for a year.
It seemed like there were at least five of these passes every game. And many occurred on third and goal or third and a makable distance – prime chances for defensive pass interference.
The PFF analyst attributed Rodgers’ high throwaways to receivers’ lack of separation and “lost trust” that caused the QB to take even fewer risks than usual. These have been common critiques since January.
Worse, the ball boys catching these throws on the sidelines showed better hands than the players. PFF recorded 41 dropped balls by Packers’ receivers, fourth worst in the league. The main culprits were Randall Cobb (uncharacteristically) and Davante Adams.
On the upside, PFF considered the Packers’ 2015 passing attack to be an anomaly – an off year – and not a sign of things to come in 2016.
Packers fans gotta hope that’s the case.