Aaron Rodgers' Dominance Paves Way for Packers Postseason Run

Aaron Rodgers made NFL history, and the Green Bay Packers continued their march toward the NFC North title. It was a successful Sunday for Packers at Lambeau Field, as they held on for a 30-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rodgers passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns, pushing his career passing touchdowns total to 400. He's only the seventh quarterback in NFL history to throw that many touchdowns, and he did it in 193 regular-season games, the fastest among the illustrious group.

Green Bay had 437 total yards of offense and held off a late push from Philadelphia, which scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to cut its deficit to seven points. In the end, the Packers had secured their fourth win in their past five games and maintained their three-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.

Here are three takeaways from Green Bay's win Sunday.

Aaron Rodgers' Efficiency Sets Tone for Packers

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It's never surprising to see Rodgers have a big day, and he set the tone early for the Packers on Sunday. He led Green Bay to touchdowns on its second and third possessions of the game, helping the team build a 14-3 halftime lead. And he finished 25-of-34, an efficient day for the veteran quarterback.

Rodgers' first touchdown pass was a 1-yard strike to top wide receiver Davante Adams with eight minutes, 29 seconds to go in the second quarter. He then connected with tight end Robert Tonyan for a 25-yard score 57 seconds before halftime.

In the third quarter, Rodgers extended the Packers' lead to 20-3 with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Adams. And the veteran credited his favorite target for the score that marked the 400th passing touchdown of his 16-year NFL career.

"Pretty cool that Davante got it," Rodgers said, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "I didn't do a whole lot on that play. It was a really good schemed play. He did the whole thing, stiff-armed his way into the end zone."

Despite turning 37 on Wednesday, Rodgers has shown no signs of slowing down. He's having another remarkable season, and he may end up leading the Packers on another deep postseason run.

Aaron Jones, Running Game Bring Key Balance to Offense

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Green Bay's offense is known for its high-powered passing attack. But it can run the ball effectively too. And with Philadelphia building momentum for a late comeback attempt, it was running back Aaron Jones who saved the game for the Packers.

Jones broke off an impressive 77-yard touchdown run to push Green Bay's lead 30-16 with 2:36 to go. The Eagles had just scored two touchdowns in the previous five minutes, so the Packers needed to run out the clock. Jones did one better by getting into the end zone for his seventh rushing touchdown of the season.

"We ran a similar play the play before, and I felt like I was close to breaking it, somebody just got a hand on me," Jones said, per Steve Megargee of the Associated Press. "A-Rod called a similar play in the huddle, and I knew if I see a little crease, I’d be able to break it."

On Jones' first 14 carries of the game, he rushed for 53 yards. His final attempt boosted his yardage total to 130, marking the first time he went over 100 yards on the ground since Week 2.

The Packers' offense is even more dangerous when they are running the ball well, and Jones has proved that he's capable of breaking off a big play at opportune times. And if he hadn't done that Sunday, perhaps the game would have had a different outcome.

Rashan Gary Providing Needed Boost to Pass Rush

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Entering Sunday, the Packers ranked 28th in the NFL in pressure rate (18.7 percent), as their defensive front had not been performing as well as it did in 2019. One way that Green Bay has tried to improve that is by giving more opportunities to second-year linebacker Rashan Gary the past two weeks.

And Gary has provided the Packers pass rush with a needed boost. He had 1.5 sacks in Sunday's win, matching his career-high total he set in Week 2. Green Bay's other pass-rushers also stepped up, helping it finish with seven sacks. Defensive tackle Kingsley Keke had two sacks, while linebacker Za'Darius Smith had 1.5.

Gary was selected by the Packers with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. However, the former Michigan standout didn't make a huge impact in his rookie season, recording only two sacks in 16 games.

This year, Gary has four sacks in 11 games. And now he's getting more time on the field (which should continue considering how well he's playing), there's a solid chance he will develop into a key member of Green Bay's defense.