Aaron Rodgers didn't have a Pro Bowl performance on Sunday. Thankfully for the Packers, the defense and the special teams bailed him out in a 27-20 win.

"Personally I made too many dumb mistakes and didn't play as well as I know I'm capable of playing," said Rodgers following the game.

Rodgers' execution on Sunday can only be characterized as uncharacteristic, especially coming off of a season in which for over 4,400 yards, 30 touchdown compared to only 7 interceptions and had a passer rating over 100.

Against the Eagles, Rodgers completed 19 of 31 passes for 188 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions with a predestrian passer rating of 73.1.

Coming off a preseason where he threw 6 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and wasn't sacked a single time, the Packers quarterback appeared to be a little too amped up for his own good on the first possession of the game.

"You've got to give them credit," said Rodgers. "They had a good game plan. They really wanted to take Jermichael [Finley] out of the game, but I had him down the middle on the first play and missed him."

Rodgers followed up his incompletion intended for Finley with two more intended for Greg Jennings, and the Packers had to punt. Their second possession of the game ended with an interception by Eagles cornerback Joselio Hanson.

Like Dorothy in Oz, suddenly the Rodgers and the Packers offense wasn't in the preseason anymore.

It didn't help that Rodgers was being pressured behind an offensive line that gave up three sacks in the first half of the game, in part due to subpar performances from veteran bookend tackles Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton.

Normally a team known for its creative blitz schemes, the Eagles defense was able to get pressure on Rodgers without much scheming at all.

"The only thing that worries you a little bit was it was their four-man rush," said Rodgers. "We were worried a little bit I think about their pressure schemes and playing on the road, not wanting to make a bunch of protection adjustments. Just trying to get the ball out hot, and they sacked us three times in their base defense. So that's disappointing."

Apart from another atypical interception from Rodgers in the second half where he overshot his intended receiver by ten yards or more, Rodgers settled down and helped the offense find it's groove before halftime and then into the second half.

"[We] got into a rhythm there second quarter, beginning of the third quarter," said Rodgers. "Then I think we kind of went into a end-the-game mode almost as far as wanting to take some time off the clock."

The Packers did all their scoring in the second and third quarters with three touchdowns and two field goals. Once Rodgers was able to hit Greg Jennings with a 32-yard touchdown late in the third, the Packers went up by 17 points, a defecit the Eagles couldn't overcome.

But it was more a case of the defense closing out the win for the Packers than Rodgers and the offense milking the late lead.

After converting 4 of 8 third downs in the first half of the game, the offense was only able to convert 2 of 6 in the second half.

Based upon Rodgers' previous two seasons as the starting quarterback of the Packers, it's unlikely he'll let one inferior performance string into multiple similar showings.

"We need to clean things up obviously and come out a little more aggressive against Buffalo," said Rodgers.