Low turnovers have translated into wins 

Green Bay The Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers has become one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League, mentioned in the same category as Philip Rivers and Drew Brees and as someone to look forward to having a career like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.

And part of that success is because Rodgers is so good at avoiding interceptions.

Look at the Packers' record book in the category of most consecutive pass attempts without an interception:

294: Bart Starr, 1964-'65

177: Rodgers, currently

163: Brett Favre, 1995-'96

159: Rodgers, 2008-'09

157: Rodgers, 2005-'08

152: Starr, 1963-'64

Rodgers' last interception was at the end of the first half against Minnesota in Week 7. He has not thrown a pick in his last 177 attempts.

"It's a testament to how well he's thinking out there, how well he's reacting and how well he's throwing out there," said backup quarterback Matt Flynn. "And the receivers are doing a good job of being friendly to the quarterback and making plays, running the right routes, not cutting their routes off. Aaron is making good decisions and being real accurate."

This is Rodgers' third year as starter and sixth overall. In beating San Francisco on Sunday, Rodgers had his fifth straight game without an interception, a personal-best.

"He's been very disciplined; he hasn't thrown the ball up for grabs very often," said offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.

"Aaron's playing at a very high level," said coach Mike McCarthy.

The streak is significant for many reasons, but most importantly, when the Packers don't turn the ball over they generally win.

It also puts Rodgers in good company. In 268 pass attempts, Philadelphia's Michael Vick has thrown only two interceptions. New England's Brady (385 pass attempts) and Kansas City's Matt Cassel (354) have just four each.

After throwing five interceptions in the first four games, Rodgers has corrected his game. He has nine interceptions in 399 pass attempts.

"Aaron is definitely one of the top quarterbacks in the league," said Flynn. "He's like a coach out there on the field. He's very smart."

Avoiding interceptions is nothing new. Rodgers' 1.95 interception percentage at the University of California is a school record.

"He's as big of a team-first guy as there is," said tight end Tom Crabtree. "And I'm sure that's all he cares about - that this streak means he's just helping the team."

First, remember that these records count for the regular season only. Favre's best interception-free streak came at the end of the 1995 season (two regular-season games) and carried through the start of the 1996 season (two games). He won two of his three MVPs in those years.

And the Packers did well. In 1995, the Packers got to the NFC Championship Game before losing at Dallas. Favre didn't throw an interception in the two playoff victories against Atlanta and San Francisco. Against the Cowboys? He had two.

Of course in '96, Green Bay earned its most recent Super Bowl victory.

So, in '95 and '96, Favre had 13 interceptions each season - his lowest 16-game total in 16 seasons in Green Bay. He played well, kept the turnovers to a minimum and the Packers won big time.

Starr's streak also is impressive, although it is from a different era.

"Did they even throw the ball back then?" joked one of the Packers.

In 1964 (14-game schedule), Starr had 272 pass attempts. Only four were intercepted. In 1965, he had just nine interceptions in 251 attempts. He also had a five-game, interception-free streak in 1966 and finished with just three interceptions in 251 attempts.

Johnny Unitas and Jim Brown took the league MVP honors in the '64 and '65 seasons, respectively, but in 1965, Green Bay won the NFL championship. In 1966, Starr was named the league's MVP as the Packers won Super Bowl I.

Rodgers certainly holds his own regarding interceptions when compared to the two Packers legends.

In looking at the years they had their streaks, Starr's interception percentage was 1.47% in 1964, 3.59% in '65 and 1.2% in '66.

Favre's was 2.28% in 1995 and 2.39 in '96.

Rodgers was 1.29% in 2009 and is 2.26% so far this year.

Rodgers, a numbers guy, knows how important turnovers are to winning. It's probably why he beat himself up so much over that red-zone fumble in Green Bay's loss at Atlanta on Nov. 28.

"This streak is huge," said receiver Jordy Nelson. "We've tried to strive not to turn the ball over. Games with no turnovers, especially with our defense? We're going to win the game. And the games we've struggled in, we've given the ball away, whether it is interceptions or fumbles.

"The way he prepares, for the time and effort that he puts into a week for a game - if he struggles and throws an interception, you're going to be frustrated. You put all that work in, or don't perform the way you want to perform. Not all the picks go on him, but outside looking in, it's the quarterback's fault."

Green Bay gets a break with the weather this week when it plays in Detroit's dome Sunday, but after that, the Packers play at New England and then close the regular season with two games at Lambeau.

The way Rodgers is playing, you might not see McCarthy pull back much on passing.

"With that arm, Aaron can pretty much make the wind a non-factor," said Crabtree.

Play-calling also helps.

"We'll call a bunch of vertical throws in a game and if it's not there, he's very disciplined about getting the ball down or to the next guy or the back," said Philbin.