Packers' Perfectionist QB Aaron Rodgers Scorches His Way into MVP Conversation

You could see it in his face on the field, and you could hear it in his voice at the postgame podium.

Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers' perfectionist quarterback, was one slightly overthrown end-zone pass away from the perfect game Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Instead, Rodgers had to settle for three touchdown passes, three incompletions and a passer rating of 154.5 in a 38-17 thrashing of the Panthers that has once again pushed Rodgers to the forefront of the MVP conversation.

"I'm going to be thinking about the one to Richard [Rodgers] there for a while," Rodgers told reporters. "Disappointed about that. They played Cover 2, and to be honest, I really wanted to get him a touchdown."

Facing 3rd-and-4 at the Carolina 16-yard line with less than a minute to go in the third quarter, Rodgers got the look he wanted—his rookie tight end running down the seam against middle linebacker Luke Kuechly—but his throw ended up a foot or two out of reach. Rodgers was visibly upset with the miss afterward. He didn't play another snap, as backup Matt Flynn entered the game on the next series and played the entire fourth quarter.

"I thought the wind was going to hurt it a little bit more," Rodgers said of the final throw, his trademark smirk and a look of dissatisfaction both plastered over his face. "But the ball came out good and I missed him by a couple yards."

He didn't miss often Sunday.

Over three quarters of work, Rodgers completed 19 of 22 passes for 255 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions—marking his sixth straight game without an interception and his fourth straight game with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions.

Only Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr has ever gone six straight games without an interception in Packers franchise history, while only New England Patriots quarterback and eventual Hall of Famer Tom Brady has ever played four straight games with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions.

Starr and Brady. Not bad company.

Rodgers has had a decent month. Over just the last four games, the Packers quarterback has completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 977 yards, 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions—good for an astronomical passer rating of 137.9. Green Bay is also a perfect 4-0 in those games.

	Cmp/Att	Yards	TD/INT	Passer Rating
Sunday vs. CAR	19/22	255	3/0	154.5
Last four games	77/109	977	13/0	137.9
2014 Totals	141/211	1674	18/1	117.3
2014 Projections	322/482	3826	41/2	117.3

Add up his entire season's worth of stats, and Rodgers is now on pace to throw for 41 touchdowns and just two interceptions, which would break all sorts of NFL single-season records. The current record holder for best touchdown-to-interception ratio is 13.5, held by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles. He threw 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions over 13 games and 10 starts last season. No quarterback in league history has ever thrown fewer than four interceptions over a complete 16-game schedule. 

Rodgers hasn't been intercepted in 192 straight attempts. Only Starr has a longer streak in Packers history. Overall, only 0.47 percent of his 211 attempts have been caught by the other team this season, which would rank third all-time. His only pick in 2014 came when his slightly inaccurate throw went off Jordy Nelson's hands in Seattle in the season opener.

Could it be that this Rodgers is even better than his 2011 version, the one that—over 15 games—threw 45 touchdowns against six interceptions and won the MVP? His head coach might think so.

"I'll say this: Aaron is a much better player today than he was in 2011," Mike McCarthy told reporters, while admitting 2011 was an "off-the-charts" kind of year.

	Cmp/Att	Yards	TD/INT	Passer Rating
2011	171/239	2372	20/3	125.7
2014	141/211	1674	18/1	117.3

Rodgers set the NFL record with a 122.5 passer rating during that season. His passer rating in 2014 stands at 117.3, or only a fraction behind Peyton Manning (118.2) for first in the NFL.

Green Bay's sluggish 1-2 start, which saw the defenses of Seattle and Detroit each hold Rodgers to under 200 passing yards, opened some eyes and perked some ears early on.

Then came R-E-L-A-X. Since that moment, which has become a season motto of sorts, the Packers have been mostly uncontainable.

In the last four games, Green Bay has outscored its opponents by a tally of 145 to 68, or a margin of 77 points. The Packers have scored 36.3 points and allowed just 17.0 per game over the dominant four-game stretch.

On Sunday, the Green Bay offense could do no wrong. Rodgers split Carolina's Cover 2 shell with a 59-yard score to Nelson on the Packers' opening drive of the game. By the end of the first quarter, the Packers led 21-0. After Rodgers had thrown his third and final touchdown—a 21-yard strike to emerging rookie receiver Davante Adams—Green Bay had opened up a 35-3 lead.

He would have left the contest with a 42-3 lead and only two incompletions had his final attempt of the game found the hands of his rookie tight end.

NFL Game Rewind

Fast starts have become commonplace. Over just the last two games, Rodgers has completed all seven of his passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns (perfect 158.3 passer rating) on the Packers' opening drive of the contest. Meanwhile, the Green Bay offense has scored six first-quarter touchdowns over the last three weeks. The combined score after 15 minutes of play in those games: 42-3. That's called starting fast.

There's also no forgetting his closing act in Miami, when Rodgers led the Packers 60 yards without a timeout to stun the Dolphins with a last-second score.

"I think we're getting closer," Rodgers said, pointing out the offense still isn't hitting yardage or play-volume expectations.

The Packers totaled 363 yards and ran 56 plays Sunday, but Rodgers didn't play the entire fourth quarter. The idea of improvement is a scary proposition when an offense and quarterback are playing as harmoniously as they are right now.

That said, Rodgers' scorching stretch hasn't conjured any thoughts about winning a second MVP.

"I wouldn't mind it, but it doesn't," Rodgers said.

There are legitimate cases to be made for Manning, Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck as the league MVP through seven weeks.

	Cmp/Att	Yards	TD/INT	Rating	Team W-L
A. Rodgers	141/211	1674	18/1*	117.3	5-2
P. Manning	149/217	1848	19*/3	118.2*	5-1
P. Rivers	155/230	1961	17/3	113.0	5-2
A. Luck	199*/302*	2331*	19*/7	100.5	5-2

Manning just broke Brett Favre's career touchdown pass record. He's on pace to throw for almost 5,000 yards and 51 touchdowns.

Murray became the first running back to ever open a season with seven straight 100-yard rushing games. He's on pace to rush for 2,087 yards and 16 touchdowns for the surprising 6-1 Cowboys.

Watt is a defensive wrecking ball who impacts the game more than any non-quarterback in the NFL.

Rivers is averaging 8.5 yards per attempt with 17 touchdowns and three picks for the 5-2 Chargers. Luck is on track to throw for almost 5,400 yards and 43 touchdowns for the 5-2 Colts.

All are worthy candidates.

But so is Rodgers, a quarterback who has put together one of those rare, underappreciated-in-the-moment stretches of football that only the greats of the game can muster. Brady once threw 17 touchdowns without an interception over a four-game period back in 2007, a year in which he tossed 50 scores and won the MVP. Rodgers has 13 without a pick over his last four, which ranks right alongside his playoff run in January of 2011 and most of his months during his MVP season as his best ever.

The next five-game stretch is equally important in Rodgers' hunt for a second MVP.

The Packers have a difficult trip to New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the Saints next Sunday night. After the Week 9 bye, Green Bay starts a stretch that includes home games against the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, with a visit across state lines to take on the Minnesota Vikings sandwiched in between.

If Rodgers can outshine the likes of Brees, Jay Cutler, Foles and Brady during the next month and a half, his MVP profile will reach new heights in 2014.

Always a perfectionist, Rodgers could name offhand two of his three incompletions immediately following Sunday's win. He couldn't remember a throw over the middle that Randall Cobb dropped in the first quarter, probably because the irritation of missing his final throw of the day still haunted his memory.

Classic Aaron Rodgers: Green Bay's white-hot but still doctrinaire quarterback—and one of the 2014 season's favorites to win MVP.

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2