Late-era Aaron Rodgers couldn’t carry the Green Bay Packers into the playoffs

The stage was set for the Green Bay quarterback to pull off his usual heroics on Sunday night. But the old brilliance was notably absent when it mattered most

As it should, the 18th and final weekend of the NFL regular season belonged to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, still in a Cincinnati hospital but in great spirits. But there were still 16 games to play, playoff berths to be earned, brackets to fill, six holes in the TV schedule to plug.

The 271st and last game was played for high stakes on a rutted field and under the lights Sunday in frigid Green Bay, which all but guaranteed that Aaron Rodgers, the Packers' 39-year-old quarterback and guiding light for ages, would help complete the big picture.