Ex-Cal QBs Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff to Face Off for Seventh Time

The two most famous Cal quarterbacks of the past 50 years will face off against each other for the seventh time as NFL quarterbacks in a pivotal game on Sunday.

Jared Goff and his 8-6 Detroit Lions will host Aaron Rodgers and his 8-6 Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that will go a long way toward determining the postseason chances for both teams.

The 31-year-old Goff, who played at Cal from 2013 to 2015 and holds a bunch of Golden Bears passing records, has the edge on his older fellow Cal alum, the 42-yearold Rodgers, who spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons at Cal and nearly took the Golden Bears to the Rose Bowl.

Goff and Rodgers first faced each other in the NFL in 2018 as members of the Rams and Packers, and they last met in January 2023 in what was Rodgers’ last game as a member of the Packers.

They faced off in one playoff game, but only 8,400 people were on hand in that one.

Goff won their first matchup and their most recent matchup and has a 4-2 lead over Rodgers in head-to-head games.

Let’s take a look at their six matchups:

October 28, 2018

Rams 29, Packers 27 – Goff wins

In Goff’s third NFL season – and his best as a member of the Rams – he got the better of Rodgers, who was in his 14th pro season.

The Rams went to the Super Bowl that season, losing to the Patriots. The Packers had their worst season with Rodgers as their quarterback, going 6-9-1 with Rodgers as the starter.

Rodgers was getting ready to mount a game-winning drive when former Stanford star and Packers return man Ty Montgomery fumbled on a kickoff return with 1:56 left.

Goff went 19-for-35 for 295, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 111.0 passer rating

Rodgers finished 18-for-30 for 286 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 102.9 passer rating.

The Rams went to the Super Bowl that season, losing to the Patriots. The Packers had their worst season with Rodgers as their quarterback, going 6-9-1 with Rodgers as the starter.

January 16, 2021

Packers 32, Rams 18 – Rodgers wins

In the only Goff-Rodgers matchup in the playoffs, Rodgers helped the Packers earn a berth in the NFC championship game, but only about 8,400 people were on hand at Lambeau Field to see it during the pandemic season.

Rodgers won his third MVP award that season, but this was Goff’s last game with the Rams. Goff, recovering from December 28 thumb surgery, started this game partly because John Wolford was out with a neck injury. But Goff played well.

Goff finished 21-for-27 for 174 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 105.9 passer rating.

Rodgers went 23-for-36 for 296 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 108.1 passer rating.

September 20, 2021

Packers 35, Lions 17 – Rodgers wins

Rodgers was in the early stages of his fourth MVP season, while Goff was in his first season with the Lions, who were a bad team at the time.

Rodgers looked like an MVP that day with four touchdown passes, including two in the third quarter as the Packers overcame a 17-14 halftime deficit.

Goff went 26-for-36 for two touchdowns, one interception and a 97.7 passer rating.

Rodgers finished 22-for-27 for 255 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 145.6 passer rating.

January 9, 2022

Lions 37, Packers 30 – Goff wins

The teams met for a second time in the 2021 season, and Goff won this matchup with Rodgers on a technicality.

The Packers had already clinched a No. 1 seed in the playoffs, and Rodgers only played in the first half, helping Detroit get their third win of the season. Roders still won his fourth and final MVP award.

Goff was 21-for-30 for 238 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 115.7 passer rating

Rodgers finished 14-for-18 for 138 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and 135.6 passer rating.

November 6, 2022

Lions 15, Packers 9 – Goff wins

Neither team looked like a playoff team at this stage of the 2022 season, as both were buried in the standings. Neither quarterback was impressive, and Rodgers was particularly poor with three picks and a lousy passer rating. But both teams got hot down the stretch to set up their second meeting of the season.

Goff finished 14-for-26 for 137, two touchdowns, one interception and a 78.5 passer rating.

Rodgers was 23-for-43 for 291 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions and a 78.5 passer rating.

January 8, 2023

Lions 20, Packers 16 – Goff wins

On the final regular-season weekend, the Lions had found out earlier in the day that they were eliminated from playoff contention, but the Packers merely needed to beat the Lions in Green Bay to reach the postseason.

However, in Rodgers’ final game with the Packers, he threw an interception on his last pass as a Packer after Green Bay had reached the Lions’ 33-yard line late in the game.

Goff was 23-for-34 for 224 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and an 85.9 passer rating.

Rodgers wound up 17-for-27 for 205 yards, one touchdown, one interception and an 83.1 passer rating.