Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wanted his backup his have a moment of glory in their last moment before their 45-30 win over the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears may have had an impressive first half at Lambeau Field on Sunday, but Aaron Rodgers ultimately had the final say. Rodgers scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter, then a touchdown in the fourth to seal the game.
But before it was all over, Rodgers had his say on something else that made backup quarterback Kurt Benkert’s night. Packers coach Matt LaFleur revealed that it was Rodgers who pushed for Benkert to kneel on the final two snaps of the game.
“Matter of fact, Aaron came up to me right before that and just wanted to make sure, because it was a special occasion, what has been? Four years in the league, first time dressing? He said, hey, let Kurt take the victory snaps. I said absolutely. It’s a well-deserved honor,” LaFleur said Monday.
Aaron Rodgers lets backup quarterback Kurt Benkert take first regular season snaps of his NFL career
A moment that would have counted little for the 38-year-old veteran meant everything to Benkert, who saw his first regular season action of his career with those final moments in the game.
Entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Benkert spent three years with the Atlanta Falcons without ever seeing a game. In May, he won a spot with the Packers and became the No. 3 quarterback during training camp.
Benkert was in the game as the No. 2 quarterback because Jordan Love was on the COVID reserve list in Week 14. But Benkert isn’t the first backup to take the final kneeling snaps to end a win — LaFleur has let Love and Tim Boyle take the last few snaps during his time in Green Bay.
A team leader considers how his teammates feel, and Rodgers showed that he was thinking of how to involve Kurt Benkert for a game he’ll never forget.
