Ted Thompson nailed it.

The stream of abuse coming at him flowed like a mountain brook all summer long, much of it mean-spirited and a lot of it from the national media.

They all said this: How could he not want Brett Favre back? How dare he thumb his nose at a legend?

Packers backers are getting behind new quarterback Aaron Rodgers. (AP)

Now we know why. Now we know what Thompson, the Packers executive vice president and general manager, knew.

Aaron Rodgers gives the Green Bay Packers a better chance to win than Favre. There, I said it.

When the Packers decided to turn their backs on Favre when he wanted back in after his retirement, I was one of the few voices out there that thought it was a good move. (OK, Freeman, you did too.)

Now, I'm convinced of it.

Packers fans should all bow down at Thompson's feet. On Sunday, we got more proof.

Rodgers lit up the Detroit Lions to the tune of 328 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers beat the Lions 48-25.

Favre? He dinked and dunked the New York Jets to a grand total of 10 points. Favre wasn't awful, completing 18 of 26 passes for 181 yards and an interception. That's just over 10 yards per completion. Rodgers was at 13.6 per completion.

Rodgers led the Packers to a 21-0 first-half lead, only to see it wiped out. They looked on their way to an easy "A" here in my CBS Sports.com grades. Instead, they earned a B- because the defense almost gave it away.

As for Favre's Jets? They get a D since they lost to the Tom Brady-less Patriots. He was just ordinary.

In two games, Rodgers has a passer rating of 117.8, has completed 70 percent of his passes for 506 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. That puts him on a pace for 32 touchdown passes and 4,048 yards passing. Favre threw 28 touchdown passes and for 4,155 yards last season.

Ted Thompson got it right. He has the right quarterback, even if most of you didn't think so.

So let's give him the only A+ grade of the week. He has earned it.

Sunday, Sep. 14, 2008
Washington Redskins 29,New Orleans Saints 24		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Redskins: Jason Campbell was impressive throwing, which has to be a nice sign for the rest of the season. He threw for 321 yards and, most importantly, no interceptions. The offense rolled up 455 yards. The defense, aside from a couple of drives, played well.	C-	2.35
C-	Saints: The offense couldn't run the ball, which put too much pressure on Drew Brees, who was picked twice. The banged-up secondary couldn't cover the Redskins receivers. The defense took a step back.	B	2.35
NY Giants Giants 41,St. Louis Rams 13		Prev. Grade	GPA
A	Giants: They were overpowering in this one in every phase of the game. Eli Manning had a big day, but this one was about the two lines. They owned the Rams.	B	3.50
F	Rams: That was enough to make someone puke. It was terrible in every way imaginable. They were playing a good team, but they couldn't do much of anything right.	F	0.00
Indianapolis Colts 18,Minnesota Vikings 15		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Colts: Peyton Manning took a beating, but he got it going in the second half. His fourth quarter was impressive. Credit the Colts defense for bending but not giving up touchdowns when the offense was struggling. That's a huge comeback.	C-	2.35
C-	Vikings: Moral of the loss: You must throw it better. Running the ball is fine but it takes throwing it to score. They found that out the hard way. What a waste of a good defensive effort for most of the game.	C	1.85
Oakland Raiders 23,Kansas City Chiefs 8		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Raiders: There might be sniping in the building, but it didn't bother the players. The defense bounced back big after the ugly loss to the Broncos. Darren McFadden showed off those running skills -- with much more to come.	F	1.65
D	Chiefs: They have problems at quarterback, and that trickles down. They couldn't get anything going on offense. The run defense was bad. It's going to be a long season.	C-	1.35
Buffalo Bills 20,Jacksonville Jaguars 16		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Bills: Trent Edwards had a heck of a day. He opened with an 80-yard drive for a touchdown and then led them to the game-winning touchdown late. The defense made big stops when needed and had a big pick in the end zone at the end of the half.	A	3.65
C-	Jaguars: They just can't get it going on offense. The running game is being hurt by the lack of a passing game. The defense let down late.	D	1.35
Green Bay Packers 48,Detroit Lions 25		Prev. Grade	GPA
B-	Packers: Rodgers was brilliant, but it took two touchdown returns of interceptions to hold off the Lions' late rally. The Packers got a little too complacent after taking a big lead.	B	2.85
C-	Lions: They sleep-walked their way to falling behind 21-0 and then scrambled to get back in it. When they did take the lead, they didn't have enough to keep it. Give them solid marks for not quitting.	D	1.35
Tennessee Titans 24,Cincinnati Bengals 7		Prev. Grade	GPA
A	Titans: The defense once again dominated. They limited the Bengals to 215 yards and just 134 through the air. That's a special day. The special teams scored a touchdown off a blocked punt.	B	3.50
D	Bengals: So much for coming home and finding the offense. Something just isn't right with that group, including Carson Palmer. He had two interceptions and looked out of sync.	C-	1.35
Carolina Panthers 20,Chicago Bears 17		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Panthers: They hung tough after a bad first half and turned a turnover into a key score in the second half. The defense won this one by keeping it close. The special teams get a demerit for a having a punt blocked for a touchdown.	B	3.00
C-	Bears: At some point they have to be a better passing team. That always comes back to haunt them. They played good defense, ran it well and even had the special-teams score. So what happened? They don't pass it well enough -- and lose.	A	2.85
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24,Atlanta Falcons 9		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Buccaneers: Credit this one to the defense. They had two picks before Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had a completion to his own team. Earnest Graham did the rest, running for 116 yards.	C	2.50
C	Falcons: Ryan found out what it was like to play quarterback on the road against a good defense. You can't win with 234 yards of total offense most of the time. The defense didn't play all that bad.	B+	2.65
San Francisco 49ers 33,Seattle Seahawks 30		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	49ers: J.T. O'Sullivan had a heck of a first road start, throwing for 321 yards. The big play of the day was the 86-yard interception return of a Matt Hasselbeck pass for a touchdown by Patrick Willis. They get an A for guts, but a lower grade altogether.	C	2.50
C-	Seahawks: They will feel the sting of losing this one after leading 14-0 and driving with a chance to make it 27-13 before the pick six by Willis. The defense gave up too many yards passing but did get a defensive touchdown.	D	1.35
New England Patriots 19,NY Jets Jets 10		Prev. Grade	GPA
A	Patriots: This was vintage Bill Belichick. They lose their quarterback and do just enough on offense to win. Matt Cassel did a nice job, but the best number was no turnovers. The defense had a big day.	B-	3.35
D	Jets: So much for thinking they're the class of the AFC East. Brett Favre didn't do enough against that Pats defense. His interception was a killer. A solid defensive effort went to waste.	B-	1.85
Denver Broncos 39,San Diego Chargers 38		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Broncos: Jay Cutler carved up the Chargers all day long. Brandon Marshall was huge with 18 catches. The gamble by Mike Shanahan paid off, but I still don't think I agree with it.	A	3.50
C+	Chargers: What has happened to that defense? It's more than just losing Shawne Merriman. Philip Rivers had a good day rallying the team and Darren Sproles stole the show with two long touchdowns, one on a kickoff return and the other on a reception.	C	2.15
Arizona Cardinals 31,Miami Dolphins 10		Prev. Grade	GPA
A	Cardinals: Kurt Warner was sensational, throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns. The defense also had a special day, totally shutting down the Miami offense. This team is good, folks.	B	3.50
F	Dolphins: They will have more days like this. The defense was shredded. It's time to play Chad Henne. How many times can I say it?	C-	0.85
Pittsburgh Steelers 10,Cleveland Browns 6		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Steelers: In tough conditions they get a huge road victory against their toughest division rival. The running game clicked, and it had to with the wind. The defense did a nice job shutting down the Browns.	A	3.65
C-	Browns: They couldn't do anything offensively. The passing game didn't get going until it was too late. This is a team in big trouble now.	D	1.35
Monday, Sep. 15, 2008
Dallas Cowboys 41,Philadelphia Eagles 37		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Cowboys: The offense, aside from the fumble in the end zone by Tony Romo that resulted in a touchdown, was very good. Felix Jones' touchdown on a kickoff return was a huge play. But the defense didn't show up. That has to be a concern.	A	3.65
B-	Eagles: This is going to be a fun team to watch. Donovan McNabb, playing without his two top receivers, had a good night. But didn't they spend all that money on Asante Samuel to improve the pass defense? What happened?	A	3.35