Among the many painful lessons learned from 2017, the most obvious one was that the Green Bay Packers go as Aaron Rodgers goes. Specifically, the offense is designed as such that without Aaron Rodgers, it doesn't function optimally, or in some of the games without the injured Rodgers last season, at all.
That's what makes projecting the 2018 season fascinating for the Packers. While the team is slotted in somewhere between playoff also-ran and missing the playoffs, second or even third in their own division, Green Bay is not that far removed from being an automatic Super Bowl challenger based on the presence of Aaron Rodgers.
Statistically, one could point to any of many numbers; the Packers gain more yards and score more points with Rodgers behind center. But, as Packers fans can attest, usually with a wince as they recall 2017, last year's eye test proved that Green Bay can't go far without their starting quarterback.
Does Aaron Rodgers need to be "the LeBron James" of the NFL to take the Packers back to the Super Bowl?
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