LOS ANGELES — A Hail Mary that left the Detroit Lions stunned. A fourth-quarter comeback that came up a touchdown short. Trading touchdowns until a failed two-point conversion ended the Lions’ two-decade-long road losing streak to the Green Bay Packers.
Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers will face each other again on Sunday when the Rams (8-6) travel east to face the New York Jets (4-10). It will be the 18th meeting between the two, who played for NFC North rivals Detroit and Green Bay, respectively, for much of their careers.
Asked to pick any games that stand out between the two in the series, which Rodgers leads 13-4, none came to mind immediately for Stafford.
“I’ve had too many to even think about, to be honest with you,” Stafford said. “It’s always a good battle.”
Entering this weekend, the two quarterbacks are facing different circumstances.
Rodgers, 41, was traded to the Jets prior to the 2023 season with Super Bowl expectations. But a torn Achilles suffered in Week 1 ended that campaign, and the aftereffects have lingered into 2024. Just now in December is he starting to regain some of the mobility and effectiveness that have defined his career.
But it’s come too late to save the Jets’ season, or the jobs of the head coach, offensive coordinator and general manager who helped orchestrate Rodgers’ arrival in the Tri-State Area.
On the other hand, Stafford, 36, has led the Rams to three straight wins and a 7-2 record since the bye, putting them in position to win the NFC West for the first time since 2021.
“I’m just excited to go out there and play,” Stafford said. “Obviously meaningful football in the month of December is an awesome thing to be a part of. We’ve earned that and we’ve got to continue to earn that opportunity to play games that matter. This just happens to be the next one on the list. Obviously have a ton of respect for Aaron and competed against him a bunch of times in my career. He’s a helluva player and does a great job.”
Whether or not this is the last meeting between Stafford and Rodgers remains to be seen. The latter spent most of his press conference on Wednesday fielding questions about whether or not he would retire after this disappointing Jets season.
Regardless, the two former Super Bowl winners figure to be tied together as players who helped define their generation of quarterbacks.
“The essence of playing quarterback involves so many different things, but you talk about changing arm slots, creating off-schedule, understanding of what are the defensive structures and how do you move and manipulate defenders,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “Both of those guys have been doing those types of things at a really high clip. … It’s two greats, two guys that I look at as Hall of Famers.”
NOTES
Rams cornerback Cobie Durant (lung contusion) was medically cleared to return to practice and was a limited participant on Wednesday. McVay said Monday that the starting corner was on track to return against the Jets after a one-game absence.
