There’s no defense for a perfect throw. As many cornerbacks like Joe Haden have discovered, there’s no defense for Aaron Rodgers.

Haden went down memory lane to discuss a play in which Rodgers got the best of him.

“Jordy Nelson. I’m running the fade ball,” Haden told cohost James Harrison on their Deebo & Joe podcast Tuesday. “I’m looking like, ‘This is a pick.’ He threw a fade like it was a slant trajectory.

“But it was a fade ball right over my head, right into his hands,” Haden recalled. “I’m like, ‘How, how did he do that?’ He just puts the ball where you couldn’t touch it.”

Fortunately for Haden, it came in a preseason game that didn’t officially count. Not that it made the moment any less frustrating. He’s referring to a 2012 preseason game while a member of the Cleveland Browns. Rodgers marched Green Bay’s offense downfield and finished the drive with a perfectly placed ball over Haden and into Nelson’s arms.

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Haden said of throws like that.

Haden played the route perfectly. Patient off the line and pinning Nelson tight along the sideline. Looking back for the ball, timing his jump, and getting a hand up between Nelson’s arms. It didn’t matter.

Rodgers’ arm strength is revered, but his accuracy is also among the best in NFL history and a reason why Tom Brady called Rodgers the “greatest passer” to ever throw the football.

Much of Rodgers’ ability is natural, but playing in a West Coast system in Green Bay dialed in his accuracy even more. He needed to be precise to hit shorter, timing routes that allowed his receivers to run after the catch.

Pittsburgh will need his accuracy to continue in 2026 under Mike McCarthy’s system. Better receiving talent should help the passing game, but Rodgers must show he can still play the game at nearly 43 years old.

Rodgers being an above-average quarterback will be key in Pittsburgh’s offense truly ascending into top 10 territory. Last year, his 5.96 ANY/A ranked 23rd and below the league mean of 6.1.