In a postgame interview after a win over the Rams two weeks ago, Aaron Rodgers corrected Lisa Salters of ESPN after she noted the Packers’ final three games were against teams above .500.
“Well,” Rodgers corrected her, “one of them is at .500 right now.”
He meant the Lions, who were 7-7 at that time and now are 8-8.
The Lions heard the statement, and they took it personally.
The teams play on Sunday Night Football, and the Packers will clinch a playoff berth with a win. The Lions will know before the game whether they have a chance for the postseason or not based on the Seahawks’ result.
The Lions want to win to prove something to Rodgers and the Packers whatever the stakes.
“This means a lot, because I feel like they don’t respect us,” safety DeShon Elliott said Friday, via Kyle Meinke of mlive.com. “[Rodgers] doesn’t respect us; that team doesn’t respect us. We shouldn’t be an underdog, no matter what the record says. Going out there, I think we’re going to fight our ass off, play smashmouth football, just cause of the respect factor.
“Like, we all got here someway, somehow. Yeah, he’s a Hall-of-Famer, but I just don’t respect the way he’s been talking about my guys all year, and the way that team views us. So we’re going to go out there and prove something.”
Detroit beat the Packers 15-9 at Ford Field on Nov. 6, with Rodgers throwing three picks. His postgame comment that “we can’t lose a game like that against that team, no” stuck in the Lions’ craw. (In Rodgers’ defense, the Lions were 1-6 when the game kicked off.)
Lions players have sounded off this week, most notably Elliott.
Elliott was asked what specifically bothered him about Rodgers, and Elliott didn’t hold back.
“Shoot, whatever,” Elliott said. “The way he carries himself. I don’t like none of that shit. So, we got to go out there and show what we can do, and show who the big dog [is], back up all the talking we do. We’re going to go out there and do that.”
Rodgers is 18-7 against the Lions with 53 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His career passer rating against Detroit is 105.8.
