UHPOG, Week 10: Tre Brown took Aaron Rodgers to town

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the rookie outdueled a GOAT

I’m not going to waste any time whatsoever. Tre Brown played every snap at LCB against the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers was 8-of-13 for 36 yards throwing to his right. Less than three yards per attempt. Brown kicked green and gold ass.

The rookie corner for the Seattle Seahawks has gotten some credit for his performance, and props for a couple flashy plays that we’ll get to, but betcha didn’t know he was that good. If you’ll forgive me in advance, he was Shutdown Brown.

By comparison, Rodgers completed 15 of 24 attempts for 256 yards to the rest of the field. More than 10 yards per attempt. D.J. Reed didn’t have a bad game outside of the first-drive slip, which didn’t end up costing points. But you could kinda tell immediately that Green Bay intended to go away from Brown — of Rodgers’ first five passes, four went left and one went up the middle.

And look at his pass chart. There’s an empty quadrant, and it’s deep right. Browntown.

Three Brown moments stood out to me, among several good ones.

Play 1: Shoulda Kicked It, Pack

On the Packers’ fifth drive, Rodgers decides to attack the Brown side of the field. Three completions in four attempts and Green Bay is on the edge of field goal range with a wobbly kicker, so it makes sense to go for it, right?

Not so fast.

Might seem that Brown’s pass breakup and physical tackle say it all, especially on fourth down, but there’s more beneath the surface.

His instincts are just sooo good. And his eyes know where to be. Check this out, it’s still the same play, and even if it’s Aaron Rodgers across the field, Brown still knows how to diagnose when a QB gives the play away.

Play 2: I’m Open, Aaron

The tweet says everything that needs to be said.

Play 3: Not Coverage

It’s late in the third quarter, less than a minute left, and against all odds, the Seahawks still only trail 3-0. Another stop and maybe you can win with a TD drive. That last part wasn’t meant to be, but on first down Brown is paying attention.

The Seahawks did enough on defense to win last Sunday, thanks in large part to Brown, so he’s your UnHeralded Player Of the Game, your latest UHPOG, though we should hand out some honorable mentions to Jordyn Brooks and Rasheem Green.

Brooks stopped two third-down conversions in the first half, shouldacouldawoulda been credited with a fumble recovery, and was in Rodgers’ face a couple times too. He’s good in coverage now, which almost makes one forget he’s a linebacker, and a damn physical one, too.

For his part, Green gets home on the first Packers drive, in effect pushing their first FG try back and indirectly causing the Mason Crosby miss. Look at Rodgers though — he goes through his reads, and he wants to go right half a second before Green arrives, but he runs out of time because that side is blanketed.

Credit Green for the effort to get the sack — his third — but save a little slice for Brown, too, who probably won’t have much a chance in the future to call himself unheralded.