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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aside from Aaron Rodgers, the Packers names aren’t exactly household or in danger of heading to Canton someday.
But put Rodgers together with all of the pieces that make up the Packers’ rocket-fueled passing game, and watch the fireworks fly and the points pile up.
With Rodgers leading the charge, Green Bay¹s passing attack was a weekly nightmare for opposing defenses, obliterating this storied franchise¹s record book while leaving its mark on NFL history, too.
Next up is the Giants on Sunday in the NFC Divisional round.
The Packers¹ 560 points and 70 touchdowns were both team records, and both rank second in league history behind New England¹s 589 points and 75 TDs in 2007. Green Bay also scored 42 points or more in six games, most by any team since the merger in 1970.
Rodgers gets much of the credit and deservedly so after his eye-popping 122.5 passer rating set an NFL record. He also unseated Brett Favre in Green Bay annals with 45 TD passes (against six interceptions).
But Rodgers can’t do it by himself, which is where his relatively underrated but incredibly productive supporting cast of receivers comes in. An amazing seven Packers caught at least 25 passes, including three (Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings and tight end Jermichael Finley) with at least 55 receptions each.
Not only that, but five Green Bay targets hauled in at least six TD passes, with Nelson topping the list with 15 scoring catches to go along with an 18.6-yard average (on a team-high 68 receptions) that ranks among the best in NFL history.
“A lot of it is scheme, but a big part of it is the unselfishness of everyone involved,” said Jennings, who caught 67 passes for 949 yards and nine TDs despite missing the final three games with a knee injury. “We don’t care who makes the play, as long as it gets made.”
The scheme is no mystery: Packers coach Mike McCarthy was an offensive assistant with the 49ers and Saints before coming to Green Bay and preaches from the altar of Bill Walsh¹s famed West Coast offense.
The West Coast attack utilizes three- and four-receiver sets, emphasizing quick, precise throws on short pass routes, with the crossing route long being the favorite.
The Packers essentially want to spread the field and get the ball to their small, speedy receivers as fast as possible (a short pass is as good as a handoff in Walsh¹s scheme), then watch them make plays ”in space,” often against overmatched nickel cornerbacks, safeties or linebackers.
According to the NFL’s statisticians, Green Bay ranked third in the league behind the Patriots and Saints in yards gained after the catch by receivers with 2,410 – a whopping 151 yards per game.
“That¹s the thing about us: We’re going to pretty much come at you all day and in waves,” Nelson said
Aaron Rodgers’ 2011 Statistics
COMPLETIONS: 343
ATTEMPTS: 502
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE: 68.3
YARDAGE: 4,643
PASSER RATING: 122.5
TOUCHDOWNS: 45
INTERCEPTIONS: 6
THE LONG & SHORT OF IT
Here’s a look at Aaron Rodgers stats and those of his favorite targets on passes of various distances. Categories reflect how far the ball is thrown in the air.
BEHIND LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
76 for 94, 527 yards, 80.9%,2 TD, 0 INT, 97.1 rating
James Starks 26 for 183 yards
Ryan Grant 13 for 200 yards, 1 TD
Greg Jennings 10 for 60 yards
1-10 YARDS
163 for 221, 1,501 yards, 73.8%,19 TD, 4 INT, 113.0 rating
Greg Jennings 31 for 269 yards, 3 TDs
Jermichael Finley 30 for 309 yards, 4 TDs
Donald Driver 27 for 250 yards, 5 TDs
11-20 YARDS:
74 for 129, 1,427 yards, 57.4%,11 TD, 1 INT, 121.2 rating
Jordy Nelson 19 for 384 yards, 3 TDs
Jermichael Finley 19 for 313 yards, 4 TDs
Greg Jennings 18 for 311 yards, 3 TDs
21-30 YARDS:
17 for 31, 662 yards, 51.4%,7 TD, 1 INT, 125.3 rating
Jordy Nelson 7 for 267 yards, 2 TDs
James Jones 4 for 172 yards, 4 TDs
Greg Jennings 4 for 99 yards, 1 TD
31-40 YARDS:
7 for 11, 308 yards, 63.6%, 3 TD,0 INT, 146.8 rating
Jordy Nelson 4 for 167 yards, 3 TDs
Greg Jennings 3 for 161 yards, 1 TD
James Jones 2 for 75 yards, 1 TD
41+ YARDS:
4 for 9, 218 yards, 44.4%, 3 TD, 0 INT, 130.8 rating
Jordy Nelson 3 for 169 yards, 2 TDs
Greg Jennings 1 for 49 yards, 1 TD
bhubbuch@nypost.com