The hype machine was in overdrive last week and you would have thought that it was Aaron Rodgers versus Tom Brady locked in a steel cage match as opposed to a football game between the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. The networks were committed to comparing two of the greatest quarterbacks of their generation and little else seemed to matter. But when the dust settled, the Patriots secured a 31-17 win and the Packers fell to a dismal 3-4-1 and are now third in the NFC North.

Time is running out on the Pack and the root of their problems lies in their inability to win on the road. Now it’s not uncommon for teams to play better at home than on the highway but Green Bay is winless away from Lambeau and that may ultimately cost them a seat at the postseason table. In addition, wide receiver Geronimo Allison will be sidelined for the rest of the regular season after getting hurt in practice and undergoing surgery for a groin injury. That will take one more weapon off of the table for Rodgers as the team tries desperately to right the ship after an underwhelming first half of the season.

There are several things missing from this team, one that was expected to compete for NFC North supremacy, and as much as it pains us to say, Aaron Rodgers hasn’t been all that great. Rodgers is down from his career average 65 percent completion percentage rate to 60 percent this season and to give some perspective that puts him in the company of CJ Beathard and Blake Bortles. Not exactly the company a future Hall-of-Famer keeps but if you’ve watched him closely then you have noticed his propensity to unload quickly – too quickly. Rodgers has not allowed his passing windows to develop and has been getting rid of the ball as quickly as possible which greatly diminishes the opportunity to see passing windows develop and exploit them as targets get open.

It’s one thing to fire early but to make a habit of intentionally misfiring is another thing entirely. Rodgers penchant for deliberately throwing the ball away has reached an alarming number as he had seven throwaways in the loss to the Patriots and enters Week 10 with 39, tops in the league this season. To put that into perspective, he is on course to shatter the record set of 46 set by Phillip Rivers two years ago and we’re not even into the second half of the season! One could argue that throwing the ball away is better than throwing it into the hands of a defender but as they say, everything in moderation. If Rodgers had found his mark on just half of those throwaways, he would be sitting with a 66-completion percentage and the Packers might be in contention.

As we look to next week, we see that the Packers have a golden opportunity to get back on track when they host the Miami Dolphins. As of this writing, we see that the oddsmakers from some of the best online sportsbooks, seen all in one place at Sportsbook Review, have installed the Packers as 10-point home favorites. Green Bay could use some redemption after their lackluster performance last week in New England and could very well wind up blowing the Fish right out of the water. If you have ever wanted to know how to bet on football then click the link and take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with just how easy it can be over at SBR. The Packers should feast on a Miami defense that is ranked 22^nd defending the pass and allowing an average of 258 yards per game.

The Packers should get well this week as they may own a record that indicates a sub .500 club but that’s a false flag. Green Bay will have a winning season when it’s all said and done but whether they can catch the Bears and/or the Vikings is another matter entirely. But in order to do so, Aaron Rodgers needs to be - well, Aaron Rodgers - and make more connections with Davante Adams, Jimmy Graham, and of course, MVS. The season is not irrecoverable but a loss on Sunday afternoon could mean vacation plans come Monday morning.