Aaron Rodgers' Weapons Deserve More Credit for Packers QB's Prolific Season

Aaron Rodgers is having a season which most quarterbacks can only imagine in their dreams. While the Green Bay Packers' signal-caller and reigning Super Bowl MVP has garnered a lot of accolades throughout the season, the guys on the opposite end of all those passing plays deserve a lot of credit, too.

A quarterback is only as strong as his weakest receiving link. If his array of weapons don't have the ability to separate from defensive backs and linebackers, there's only so much he can do. That's why it's so tough to judge young QBs like Colt McCoy and Christian Ponder, who lack support.

Rodgers, on the other hand, has a plethora of options to utilize, and more continue to emerge on a weekly basis.

A perfect example is rookie tight end Ryan Taylor. The seventh-round pick didn't have a single catch coming into Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders and proceeded to catch Rodgers' first touchdown pass.

Greg Jennings seems to be the only receiver who doesn't partake in the weekly carousel of targets. The Western Michigan product entered Week 14 with 65 catches and nine touchdowns. No other receiver had more than 48 grabs.

But there are eight other members of Rodgers' arsenal with at least 12 catches. In total, there have been 15 different players who caught a pass this season.

Perhaps the California native doesn't need every single one of those players to succeed, but every added contributor helps him spread out the defense to create mismatch opportunities. It's a strategy brought to the forefront by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, with Rodgers doing whatever he can to perfect it.

Whether it's a veteran like Donald Driver or a young player still honing his craft like Jordy Nelson, Rodgers has seemingly even possible need filled.

Deep threats, fearless slot receivers, dual-threat running backs and the list goes on. Whatever the situation calls for, he has a weapon to get the job done.

The NFL is a quarterback league, so it's no surprise that Rodgers dominates the headlines. He's on pace to throw for over 5,000 yards and almost 50 touchdowns—those numbers are bound to make heads turn. Especially among today's fantasy-crazed fans.

However, it's important to remember those gaudy numbers wouldn't be possible without his infantry of targets that go into battle with him each and every week. They might not all be big names, but they are all on the roster to serve a purpose.

Together they have transformed a very good offense into one with unmatched efficiency. And judging by another elite performance on Sunday, it's a unit that won't be slowing down any time soon.

A lot of that has to do with Rodgers, but it wouldn't be possible without Jennings and Co.