Packers Will Need More Superman Aaron Rodgers to Beat Seattle in NFC Title Game

The narrative fulcrum for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers came at the 1:51 mark in the third quarter of Sunday's NFC Divisional Round win over the Dallas Cowboys. 

Third-and-15. Down eight points. A gimpy and hurting Rodgers had looked worryingly mortal over the first 40 minutes, and his team was approaching a breaking point. 

A punt at this juncture in the contest and the Packers were looking at the very real possibility of losing a third home playoff game in four years. Instead, Rodgers engaged Superman mode—the out-of-this-world level he'll need to play at in Seattle to beat the mighty Seahawks in the NFC title game—and flicked a perfect ball against tight coverage to rookie Davante Adams, who went 46 yards for the game-turning touchdown. 

Starting with the score to Adams and ending on a crazy connection with Randall Cobb to seal the game, Rodgers completed his last 10 attempts of the contest for 163 yards and two touchdowns as the Packers rolled to a 26-21 win. 

"Once we opened things up, and he was able to get into some rhythm throws and move around, he played like Aaron Rodgers," head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters. "An incredible game for Aaron, especially with what he's been through the last few weeks."

Conquering the Seahawks in Seattle and earning a trip to Super Bowl XLIX will require a similar level of passing divinity. 

It looked early on as if Rodgers' injured calf would send the Packers to another disappointing home playoff defeat. Green Bay trailed by deficits of 14-7 and 21-13, and he had completed just 14 of his first 25 passes for a measly 153 yards. Everyone wearing the green and gold, including Rodgers, needed a spark. 

Things seemed to click into place following the dart to Adams, a harder-than-it-looked throw that just managed to sneak by the outstretched arm of Cowboys cornerback Sterling Moore.

NFL Game Rewind

	Cmp/Att	Yards	TD/INT	Passer Rating	GB Points
Before	14/25	153	1/0	87.6	13
After*	10/10	163	2/0	158.3	13
Total	24/35	316	3/0	125.5	26

Dallas finally withered against the league's likely MVP.  

On Green Bay's next drive, Rodgers connected with tight end Andrew Quarless for 13 yards, Adams for 18 and receiver Randall Cobb for 14. On 1st-and-10 from the Dallas 13, Clark Kent snuck into the phone booth, threw on his cape and delivered another signature postseason moment. 

The whole play was Favrian in nature. The one-legged Rodgers eluded pressure, fighting off the shooting pain in his calf to create just enough space to his left. He then squared his shoulders and brought a frozen rope to the back of the end zone, where rookie tight end Richard Rodgers completed the catch between two closing defenders for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. The ability to ward off injury, the guts to attempt the throw and the arm to fit the football into the smallest of windows almost certainly made a certain gray-haired quarterback in Mississippi crack a smile. 

After referees reversed Dez Bryant's Herculean effort to bring the Cowboys back, Rodgers and his receiving friends put the final dagger in the visitors from Dallas. 

On 3rd-and-3 with two minutes and 36 seconds left, Rodgers threw a dangerously placed back-shoulder throw to Adams. The rookie wrestled the contested catch away from Moore, spun up field and gained 26 huge yards. 

Three plays later, Rodgers' deflected attempt to Jarrett Boykin on 3rd-and-11 landed directly in Cobb's arm 12 yards down field for the game-clinching conversion. 

The Packers were heading to Seattle, and there would be no narrative built around another home failure in the postseason. 

To immortalize the 2014 season, the Packers will again need Rodgers to be at the height of his powers.

	Cmp/Att	Yards	TD/INT	Passer Rating	GB Points
at SEA (2012)	26/39	223	0/0	81.5	12
at SEA (2014)	23/33	189	1/1	81.5	16
TOTALS	49/72	412	1/1	81.5	28

On two healthy legs in the season opener, Rodgers put together one of the more inefficient games of his career. He averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt and managed only a single score as the Packers fell by a 20-point margin. 

The Seahawks defense built on their Week 1 dominance over the final 15 games, finishing the season ranked first in points, yards, yards per play, passing yards and passing touchdowns. Few defenses in history can match Seattle's current two-year run. 

Rodgers has probably never faced a stiffer test in his football career. 

Unless his calf magically heals between now and next Sunday, Rodgers will be once again limited. Not only in terms of mobility—he broke containment of the pocket on just four of his 37 dropbacks against the Cowboys, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN—but also formation-wise. The Packers ran either the shotgun or the pistol on every offensive play except for the three kneel-downs to end the game. 

Extending plays is one of Rodgers' most impressive attributes. And it figures to be important against the Seahawks defense, the best downfield cover team in football. Buying a second or two more time can be the difference between a completion and a coverage sack. 

Not having formation variability might also help focus Seattle's game plan for attacking the Green Bay offense, which ranked first in the NFL in points in 2014. 

The light switch finally flicked on for Rodgers Sunday when the Packers started scheming more empty (no running backs) sets. McCarthy somewhat jokingly said afterward that his play-calling sparked Rodgers, but it was clear giving him more options and forcing the Cowboys to put more cover people on the field helped define matchups and open up the passing game. 

Once Rodgers got into a rhythm, it was all over. 

"His performance in the second half, everyone wants to compare performances, that's as good as it gets," McCarthy said. 

Everything started with just one throw, one conversion, one game-turning score. Once No. 12 morphed back into No. 12 (and a little of No. 4), the Packers turned away an upset attempt and brought a little bit of mystique back to Lambeau Field. 

Now, Kryptonite awaits. The Packers haven't beat the Seahawks in two previous tries since 2012. A difficult atmosphere and the fastest, most aggressive defense in the game makes any visit to the Pacific Northwest a looming nightmare. Quarterback Russell Wilson also looked scary good in dissecting the Carolina Panthers in the divisional round. 

A trip to the Super Bowl will almost certainly fall on Rodgers' shoulders (and one good leg), with anything less than what he delivered in the second half against Dallas probably not being enough.

"To be the best you have to beat the best, and they're the defending champs," Rodgers told reporters. "It will be a good opportunity for us." 

Any opportunity with Rodgers involved is a good one. Just ask the Cowboys, who might have been one 3rd-and-long stop away from prepping their own return to Seattle. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2