Packers' Aaron Rodgers Says 'Window Is Open for Us' After Loss to 49ers

Aaron Rodgers just finished his 15th NFL season, but the two-time All-Pro Green Bay Packers quarterback is not looking to slow down.

"The window is open for us," Rodgers told reporters following the Packers' 37-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night. "I think we're gonna be on the right side of one of these real soon."

Green Bay entered halftime down 27-0, a deficit even Rodgers couldn't overcome. The 36-year-old got the Packers within 34-20 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, but that is the closest Green Bay would come.

Rodgers finished with 326 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while getting sacked three times and pressured consistently.

While Rodgers won't be satisfied with missing the Super Bowl, something he told ESPN's Rob Demovsky, earlier this month he thinks about "every day," he did notch another individual accomplishment:

Rodgers came one game short of making his second career Super Bowl appearance and first since the Packers won Super Bowl XLV in February 2011, but he still felt this season was "special because it became fun again."

This was Green Bay's first season under head coach Matt LaFleur after Mike McCarthy had served as head coach from 2005 to Dec. 2, 2018. Rodgers' relationship with McCarthy was reportedly toxic, as Bleacher Report's Tyler Dunne wrote extensively about in April 2019.

Rodgers complimented LaFleur directly:

Rodgers has long had to compensate for shortcomings elsewhere on the Packers roster, but this year took some off the 2005 first-rounder's shoulders. Running back Aaron Jones became the first Packers back to rush for 1,000 yards in the regular season since Eddie Lacy in 2014, while linebackers Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith bolstered the defense.

Rodgers admitted to reporters there was a gap between second-seeded Green Bay and top-seeded San Francisco, but "I don't think it's that big. I think it's pretty close. I think we're just a little bit more consistent performance from playing with these guys."

Green Bay went 13-3 in LaFleur's first season, as Rodgers threw for 4,002 yards, 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions across 16 regular-season games.