An impossible duel: Aaron Rodgers vs. Patrick Mahomes

Fate is capricious, and his latest prank was avoiding, again, the Aaron Rodgers-Patrick Mahomes duel, which the NFL presented as its biggest draw by proposing to expand the regular season to 17 games starting in 2021.

Two seasons ago, the Green Bay Packers visited the Kansas City Chiefs, but Mahomes could not play after suffering, a week earlier, a knee dislocation that forced him to lose two games.

Although the misfortune of the Chiefs and the constant errors of Mahomes dull the duel, fate made, in 2021, Rodgers was the main responsible for that two of the most spectacular quarterbacks of today could not be in the same field, after the Packers quarterback tested positive for COVID-19 and sparked a controversy after hinting in the preseason that he had been vaccinated, when he was not.

The clash between Packers and Chiefs created expectations after the vote to expand the regular season to 17 games, as it was one of the highlights in the proposal that the NFL presented to team owners because of how attractive it would be to see on the same field Rodgers and Mahomes.

However, both teams come to the meeting with contrasting realities. While the Packers (7-1) have the best record in the NFL after taking away the undefeated, on the road, the Arizona Cardinals with a Rodgers that confirms why he was the MVP of 2020 with 17 touchdown passes for just one interception , the Chiefs (4-4) march in last place in their division and have emerged as the biggest disappointment of the season with a Mahomes who is the passer who has suffered the most interceptions (10), several generated by forcing actions, pressured for the poor level of his defense.

Despite this scenario, the Rodgers-Mahomes duel drew attention as two winners of the NFL MVP award from the last three years were on the same field.

With no Rodgers available, the Packers will use Jordan Love, who will make his NFL debut as a starting quarterback with a team that is 6-11-1 since 2008 with a quarterback behind center who does not have the Rodgers last name.

In the past 13 seasons, with Rodgers on the field, Green Bay is 133-64-1 (.674) and averaging 27.1 points per game. Without him, the Packers offense averages 20.7 points per game, practically a touchdown.

The Packers’ 20.7 points could be enough this Sunday against a Chiefs who are no longer an explosive offense and have only scored 23 points combined in their last two games.

Duels like the one that Packers and Chiefs will star in are the type in which a team that has the necessary pieces to recover from its misstep can do it against another that is established as a candidate for great things.

The Chiefs and Mahomes may be able to regain little or much of their magic against the Packers, but without Rodgers on the other side of the field, it won’t be the same.

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An impossible duel: Aaron Rodgers vs. Patrick Mahomes