DALLAS - When backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers entered the huddle in the second quarter on Thursday night with the Packers trailing by 17 points, he told his offensive teammates simply to trust him.
And even though the comeback effort fell short in the 37-27 defeat in Dallas, Rodgers proved that confidence wasn't falsely placed. He also showed the offense is in capable hands both for when he takes over permanently for Brett Favre, and if he needs to fill in for Favre as this season continues.
"We already had trust in him," receiver Donald Driver said. "We just wanted him to go out and relax and play the game."
Rodgers did that, completing 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown without an interception for a 104.8 passer rating in relief of Favre. His status for the next game Dec. 9 vs. Oakland is uncertain, though the future Hall of Famer said after the game he felt like his elbow and shoulder injuries would be OK.
For the third-year pro Rodgers, it was an impressive outing and by far the best for the former first-round draft pick, whose regular-season action has been very infrequent as Favre's backup.
"We didn't make enough plays to win today, but I felt I moved the offense pretty well," Rodgers said. "I felt comfortable out there, made some plays with my legs. But we came up a little bit short."
Entering the game facing a 27-10 deficit, Rodgers didn't flinch, throwing passes with authority and showing escapability from the rush right from the start.
Rodgers picked up one first down on his initial drive on a third-down scramble, and then he truly took command on his second possession.
On the Packers' final drive of the first half and opening drive of the second half, Rodgers led the offense to two touchdowns on drives of 74 and 69 yards to pull Green Bay within 27-24 and give legitimate hope for what might have been a remarkable victory.
Rodgers completed 10 straight passes on those two drives, beginning with a 43-yard catch-and-run by Greg Jennings. He finished that first TD drive with an 11-yard scoring strike to Jennings, the first TD pass of his NFL career.
"I thought Aaron came in, stepped up and played very well," Jennings said. "One thing about it is when the quarterback comes in, you have to give him 100 percent. You can't get down, your mood can't change because you changed heads at center."
Rodgers continued the rally in the third quarter. He began the period by getting sacked, but he rebounded with passes of 7 yards to James Jones and 17 yards to Donald Driver to get the Packers out of a hole. He scrambled up the middle for a 9-yard gain, completed a pair of passes of 22 and 5 yards to tight end Donald Lee, and then caught a break when Dallas defensive end Greg Ellis grabbed his face mask on a third-down sack, keeping the drive alive for Green Bay.
Two more short completions to Driver and fullback John Kuhn made it first-and-goal on the 1, Ryan Grant ran in his second touchdown of the game, and suddenly the Packers were right back in it.
{sportsad300}"Everybody on the sidelines felt like we were going to win," Rodgers said. "I felt like we were going to win. We just didn't make enough plays. We got the ball back after their long drive and had a chance to win it. I feel good about the way I played, but I'm disappointed I couldn't get the win for us."
That chance to win came after an Al Harris interception in the end zone kept the Packers within three points, and it appeared Rodgers might be on his way to giving the Packers the lead. He zipped a 15-yard completion to Jennings on the first play, but then the drive stalled.
Facing third-and-5 on his own 40, Rodgers was sacked by Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Ware, and the Packers' best chance to complete the comeback was over.
Rodgers did lead the offense to one more score, a long field goal that brought the Packers within 34-27 with 5:03 left. He completed three passes for 26 yards and added a 13-yard scramble, but the Packers never got the ball back again down only one score.
"I feel good that we moved the ball," Rodgers said. "We didn't put up an '0-fer' when I was in there. But at the same time, knowing we had a chance to win, ... we had the ball on the 20-yard line needing about 50 yards to get in field goal range, and down by 3 and couldn't get the job done. So that's disappointing."
No one was disappointed specifically in Rodgers, though.
"I thought he played great, gave us a chance to win," Favre said. "I thought he was ready to play."
