Aaron Rodgers, Packers listless in alarming loss to Taylor Heinicke-led Commanders

Sound the alarms in Green Bay. That is, if they weren't already blaring.

Aaron Rodgers looked little like the reigning back-to-back NFL MVP and the Packers dropped a dud in Washington on Sunday in a 23-21 loss to the Commanders.

Green Bay got on the board first and entered halftime with a 14-10 edge. But Washington took the lead with a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half and didn't relinquish it. A Packers team that entered the season with Super Bowl hopes was left to resort to desperate measures against one of the league's worst teams on the game's final play.

And just like that, the Packers are 3-4 with questions swirling around how effective Rodgers can be at 38 years old while playing with a diminished receiving corps. Losing to the resurgent New York Jets and Giants teams is one thing. Flailing against the Commanders with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback is another.

Rodgers didn't make any significant mistakes Sunday. He just didn't make plays as Green Bay mustered 232 yards of offense against a middling Washington defense. The Packers averaged 4.4 yards per play, well below the 5.6 the Commanders allowed the first six weeks, and couldn't come up with plays when they needed them most.

With the Commanders leading 20-14 early in the fourth quarter, Green Bay faced fourth-and-1 at the Washington 37. Needing a touchdown for the lead, the Packers went for a first down instead of opting for a 54-yard field-goal attempt. They didn't get it. Rodgers' pass to Romeo Doubs fell to the turf, and the Commanders took over on downs. Their field goal on the ensuing possession proved to be the difference in the game.

The missed connection from Rodgers to Doubs summed up the Packers' struggles. The fourth-round rookie has stepped into a starting role on an offense searching for playmakers after the offseason trade of Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. He's yet to deliver with just one game exceeding 47 receiving yards. He finished Sunday's game without a catch.

Check-downs defined the Green Bay passing attack on Sunday. Allen Lazard led the way with 55 yards on six catches. Running back Aaron Jones added 53 receiving yards. He needed nine catches to get there. He tallied 21 of them on a single touchdown catch in traffic that amounted to a tease as Green Bay's only noteworthy offensive highlight of the day.

Rodgers finished the day completing 23 of 35 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns to Jones. His 5.5 yards per attempt will only drag down the career-low 6.9-yard average he carried through the first six weeks of the season.

This is not the Rodgers known for his exceptional ability to throw downfield. He took over the Packers' offense in 2008 as a less mistake-prone version of Brett Favre, a big-armed gunslinger without his predecessor's downside. Rodgers has never thrown for more than eight interceptions in a season.

He is still avoiding the game-crushing mistakes. But the big plays are a thing of the past. And there's no reason to expect them to return with this roster and Rodgers' age.