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Could it be possible that Aaron Rodgers is underrated?

Sure, he's currently considered elite, but the truth is he's historically great

The last time Aaron Rodgers threw an interception, everyone in America was still trying to determine what they'd be wearing for Halloween. In the time since that last pick, which came 40 days ago in a loss to the Saints, Rodgers has attempted 140 passes, completing 91 of them for 1,233 yards and 13 touchdowns. Now, approaching a matchup against the Falcons' league-worst pass defense - and league-worst overall defense for that matter - Rodgers is likely to continue his run of dominance in a big way this weekend.

While his current stretch of unblemished play is impressive, it's important to note that it's nothing new. Rodgers has gone interception-less in four or more consecutive games four other times in his career, one of which came earlier this season, when he tossed 17 touchdowns and exactly zero picks over six straight contests.

These insane runs of near perfection have put him on a staggering statistical pace. If he continues at this rate, he'll finish the year with 43 touchdowns against four interceptions. And while this particular campaign will join Tom Brady's 2007 and Peyton Manning's 2004 and 2013 seasons as one of the most efficiently prolific of all time, it's really not that far from Rodgers' norm. In six completed seasons as the Packers' starter, the 31-year-old has totaled double-digit interceptions just twice, averaging over 3,900 yards and 31 touchdowns per year. His 2011 numbers are about as good as any ever: 4,643 yards, 68.3% completion percentage, 45 touchdowns and six interceptions en route to the highest single-season passer rating (122.5) of all time.

So with this statistical production in mind - as well as public recognition in the form of an MVP, Super Bowl MVP and three Pro Bowl selections - there's no way Rodgers could be underrated, right?

Well ...

As NBC Sports national columnist Joe Posnanski points out in the video above, a deeper look at the numbers suggest we might not be fully appreciating the greatness in front of our eyes. Rodgers has the lowest interception rate ever at 1.6% and the highest career touchdown rate in 40 years (the Browns' Frank Ryan retired in 1970 with 7% TD percentage to Rodgers' 6.6%) giving him the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NFL history. His career passer rating of 106.7 is the highest ever, and it's not even close. He's the only one in the history of the NFL to crack triple digits. He's third all-time in yards per pass attempt, third all-time in completion percentage and second all-time in playoff QB rating. Also, lest we forget about the value of his legs, Rodgers has more rushing yards (1,762) and rushing touchdowns (19) than every active signal-caller besides Michael Vick and Cam Newton.

His place in the record books speaks for itself and though Rodgers hasn't played nearly long enough to amass the career totals and counting stats of Favre, Manning or Marino, the sport has never seen the mastery he's displayed over the last seven years.

"Just like you can say no one ever played golf as well as Tiger Woods in his prime," said Posnanski. "No one has ever played quarterback the way Rodgers is playing it."

Yet, in this era of gaudy quantitative statistics and the constant debate over the greatness of Manning and Brady, it seems like the best passer in the league isn't getting his due.

"Yes, the NFL is a different league now, and quarterbacks as a whole put up numbers that would have been unimaginable even 10 years ago," said Posnanski. "But that shouldn't make us miss something historic. Aaron Rodgers just might throw a football better than anyone who ever played in this league."