Aaron Rodgers Loses 4th Straight; Bryan Anger Launches 83-Yard Punt

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Former Cal players in NFL: Packers QB kept his team close. Jared Goff suffers tough defeat. Cowboys punter Anger goes long. Vikings’ Camryn Bynum gets key interception

A difficult season got worst Sunday night for former Cal star Aaron Rodgers, who did well just to keep his team close against Buffalo.

The Packers quarterback had virtually no time to pass as the Packers’ offensive line was overwhelmed by the Buffalo Bills defensive front, and it led to a 27-17 Bills victory, sending Green Bay to its fourth straight loss.

Rodgers, a four-time MVP who won that award each of the past two seasons, threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to keep the Packers in contention in a game in which they were always on the verge of getting blown out.

Rodgers was sacked just twice, but the pressure applied by the Bills forced the Packers to limit their passing game until the closing minutes.  Plus, Green Bay was without three of its top receivers.  

Rodgers was 19-for-30 for 203 yards, two touchdowns,  one interception and a 91.4 passer rating. Both touchdown passes were to rookies. First was this scoring pass to Romeo Doubs as shown below, and later to Samori Toure. Neither will be confused with Davante Adams.

The Packers are 3-5, and they are now a long shot to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year and for the 11th time in the past 13 seasons. The 3-5 mark is Rodgers’ worst record through eight games as a starter in his pro career.

The Packers’ four-game losing streak is their longest with Rodgers at quarterback since they lost four in row in 2016.  Rodgers has not lost five straight since 2008, his first year as a starter in the NFL.

Here is how other ex-Cal players did in the NFL Sunday:

—Former Cal punter Bryan Anger had a big day for the Cowboys in their 49-29 victory over the Bears.  He had just two punts, but averaged 71.0 yards and 56.5 net yards, both of which are excellent numbers for a punter.

His day included one big-time boot — an 83-yarder. And it actually went farther than that as his his kick, which started with the ball at the Cowboys’ 17-yard line, went through the end zone for a touchback.  That’s at least a 93-yard punt, with a few yards in addition after it rolled out of the end zone.

(Click here for the video of Anger’s boot.)

—Lions quarterback Jared Goff had decent numbers in Detroit’s 31-27 loss to Miami, going 27-for-37 for 321 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 108.1 passer rating. But the Lions blew a 21-7 second-quarter lead and failed to score a single point in the second half, dropping their record to 1-6.

Goff was 18-for-25 for 264 yards, a touchdown and a 119.4 passer rating in the first half, but threw for just 57 yards in the second half.

—Vikings starting safety Camryn Bynum had two tackles and his first interception of the season as Minnesota improved to 6-1 with a 34-26 win over the Bears.  His interception, which was the second of his career, came midway through the fourth quarter and was a back-breaker for Chicago.

Bynum is No. 24 in this interesting celebration:

—Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, an All-American linebacker while at Cal, saw his team improve to 4-4 by scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 22 seconds left in a 17-16 victory over the Colts.

—Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan had two tackles, including half a sack, while also contributing two quarterback hurries in New Orleans’ 24-0 win over the Raiders. He has 5.0 sacks for the season.

—Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. was targeted three times but had no receptions in the 21-17 loss to Denver. It was the second time this season Jones was shutout. Earlier this season he had his streak of 117 consecutive regular-season games with at least one catch halted.

—Jets safety Ashtyn Davis, Steelers defensive lineman Tyson Alualu, Bears safety Elijah Hicks and Cardinals tight end Stephen Anderson all played off the bench Saturday, but none recorded any statistics.

—Falcons safety Jaylinn Hawkins did not play Sunday because of a concussion.

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Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Mark Konezny, USA TODAY Sports

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