Aaron Rodgers' Gutsy Performance Gets the Pack a Bye and Himself a Probable MVP

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers had the fans at Lambeau Field cheering wildly for one fleeting moment and then sitting in hushed silence quickly thereafter.

That's what happened when Rodgers threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb with three minutes and 55 seconds left in the first half to take a 14-0 lead over the Detroit Lions.

But even before the pass was in Cobb's hands, Rodgers crumpled to the turf. No. 12 didn't get up either. He clutched at his left calf writhing in pain. Rodgers had to be helped off the field by the training staff and moments later was driven to the locker room in a cart.

Things didn't get much better after that. It didn't help matters when the Lions came right back and scored a touchdown just before halftime after Brad Jones was called for roughing the passer with a foolish helmet slap.

When the Packers came out for the second half, there was no sign of Rodgers. Backup quarterback Matt Flynn was warming up and it was Flynn who took the snaps on the first series of the second half. The series went nowhere after Flynn was sacked on third down.

Just a moment later, the crowd roared as Rodgers gingerly walked out of the tunnel and toward the bench of the Packers.

The urgency of the game quickly changed as well, as the Lions quickly came back to score another touchdown and the game was tied 14-14.

But Rodgers, even with his limited mobility, led the Packers on a 60-yard touchdown drive which ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Cobb to give the Packers a 21-14 lead.

Then in the fourth quarter, Rodgers finished another drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown which put the Packers up by two scores. The sneak happened in the south end zone—the same place where Bart Starr scored on his legendary sneak in the "Ice Bowl."

This game certainly added to the Rodgers' legend, as the Packers ended up winning 30-20.

In his gutsy second-half performance, Rodgers was 11-of-13 for 129 yards and a touchdown pass. Plus, he scored one himself.

The sneak was not called by head coach Mike McCarthy. It was called by Rodgers himself.

“He [McCarthy] just trusted I wasn’t going to do anything stupid—and I didn’t feel like the quarterback sneak fell into the stupid category. He might have differed with his opinion there,” Rodgers told reporters. “I’m just glad I could get back out there and compete with my guys.”

For the game, Rodgers completed 17 of 22 passes for 226 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. That adds up to a 139.6 passer rating.

The result? The Packers won the NFC North title and also grabbed hold of the No. 2 seed as well as a first-round bye. This will give Rodgers's left calf time to heal.

Rodgers talked about the process which helped get him back into the game.

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

“Doc came in, we talked about the risks, and I was able to get him to allow me do some movements on the sidelines to see how it felt," Rodgers explained during the postgame press conference. "I wasn’t going to put myself in major harm’s way. But at the same time, I feel like if I could be out there, I could give our team a little jolt.”

Rodgers didn't think his gritty performance in the game was so special.

"I don't think I did anything heroic tonight," Rodgers said. "I just have a strong desire to compete. I love the competitive nature of the game that we get to play."

Compete he did. And win he did.

And the Packers got the bye they wanted—a bye Rodgers truly needs.

The win and intestinal fortitude that Rodgers showed during the game will most likely garner No. 12 his second NFL MVP Award as well.

Currently, there are three front-runners for the award. Rodgers, quarterback Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys and defensive end J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans.

What Watt has done on defense this year is truly remarkable. No. 99 finished the season with 20.5 sacks, one safety, one interception for a touchdown, 11 passes defended, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown.

There is no doubt that Watt will be named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. However, it seems unlikely that he will get the MVP award, as his team finished 9-7 and didn't make the postseason.

Rodgers and Romo however, led their respective teams to 12-4 records and division titles.

That is where one has to carefully look at the stat lines that both quarterbacks put up in 2014.

Romo ended up as the highest-rated passer in the NFL with a mark of 113.2. Rodgers was just a point behind Romo with a mark of 112.2.

The science of coming up with a passer rating is somewhat confusing. It seems odd that Romo would have a higher rating than Rodgers when he threw four fewer touchdown passes and four more interceptions than No. 12.

Romo threw 34 touchdown passes versus nine interceptions, while Rodgers threw 38 touchdown tosses versus just five picks.

In addition to that, Rodgers (4,381) had 676 more passing yards than Romo (3,705) in 2014. I guess the stat that gave Romo the edge in passer rating was the fact that No. 9 completed 69.9 percent of his passes, compared to 65.6 percent for Rodgers.

Morry Gash/Associated Press

While both Watt and Romo had fantastic seasons in 2014, Rodgers was also truly marvelous this season. Plus, he did it when it counted the most—in crunch time with everything on the line, while he was obviously playing hurt.

That is why I believe he will receive his second NFL MVP Award.

But individual awards can come later. Rodgers wants to claim another trophy. A team trophy. A trophy he has held once before. That would be the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which was won when the Packers were victorious in Super Bowl XLV.

Rodgers was the MVP in that game by the way.

After his courageous performance on Sunday, Rodgers helped the odds of the Packers perhaps winning another one.