Lions Take Advantage of Sulking Aaron Rodgers
If you had a chance to watch Sunday's Packers-Lions matchup, you would not have thought Aaron Rodgers was the man behind center for Green Bay.
The four-time All-Pro quarterback threw three interceptions before connecting with receiver Allen Lazard for his first touchdown pass of the contest. It came with 4:53 remaining in the third quarter.
It was the first time -- in 25 career games vs. Detroit -- in which Rodgers tossed three picks against the Lions. It was also just his fifth career NFL contest, out of 222 total games, with three interceptions.
It was an extremely frustrating day for the future Pro Football Hall of Fame passer, who completed just 53.5 percent of his passes (23-of-43), en route to producing a dismal passer rating of 53.5.
And, all along the way, Rodgers had a tough time holding back his emotions. He was visibly upset on multiple occasions in which he failed to connect with his group of pass catchers.
Rodgers' struggles and subsequent frustrations were common themes for the Packers and their longtime signal-caller Sunday.
As much as the woes of the 18th-year passer were the result of his lack of timing with and the ineffective play of his young wideouts, Aaron Glenn's defense also deserves some credit. Surprisingly, that's not a misprint, either.
The Lions, which came into Sunday allowing a league-high 32.1 points per game, permitted just one touchdown and nine total points vs. Green Bay.
"I'm proud of them," Detroit head coach Dan Campbell said about his defense, after the team's 15-9 victory over the Packers. "I just gave the game ball to A.G. (Glenn). It's a hell of a job, man. (He) coaches his heart out, and you know, and he put everything into it, as he always does. And, those guys responded."
Most notably, rookie safety Kerby Joseph came through with the best performance of his young career. In his eighth career NFL game (and fifth start), he logged a game-high two interceptions and three passes defensed. His two-interception game was the first by a Lions rookie since Devon Mitchell, who performed the feat in 1986.
Fellow rookie Aidan Hutchinson recorded the other interception of Rodgers in the Week 9 tilt.
As for Joseph, he also amassed double-digit tackles (10) for the first time as a pro.
"We knew we needed takeaways today, a minimum of two is what we talked about," Campbell expressed. "And, Kerby Joseph came up big, Hutch got one. But, as a whole, that defense, man, they rose up.
"And, you know, I thought we played aggressive. I do think we challenged on the perimeter. Look, some of the plays they made, we were in the fight, and that's all you can ask for. We're in it. We're in it. Alright, they made a play. But, I felt like, man, we made them go the hard way, the long, hard way."
© Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
The only player who surpassed Joseph in tackles Sunday was his teammate Derrick Barnes. Along with his game-high 12 tackles, Barnes finished with a sack and one pass defensed.
His sack of Rodgers in the second quarter, with 4:16 to play in the first half, forced the Packers into a third-and-18 situation that they were never able to recover from on the drive. Two plays later, Green Bay, on a fourth-and-3 conversion attempt, turned it over on downs, on the Lions' 38-yard line.
The standout play of Barnes and Joseph was a nice change of pace for Detroit's defensive unit, which allowed 31 points to the Miami Dolphins a week ago.
Now, there will be some Green Bay fans that want to discredit the strong effort of the Lions' defense and attribute the poor play of Rodgers simply to his lack of chemistry with the Packers' receivers.
Yet, that wouldn't be telling the whole story. It's because Glenn's defense, no matter how shocking it may be, contributed to the significant confusion that Rodgers experienced in Green Bay's Week 9 loss.
"The whole defense, I thought, played outstanding," Campbell told reporters. "I mean, (cornerback) Will Harris was all over the field. So, it was just a great effort. I thought (linebacker) Alex (Anzalone) played well. But, look, the unit itself really, you know, they took a stand today and won the game for us."
Much to the delight of Lions fans everywhere, the team's defense, via the high-end performances of players like Barnes and Joseph, contributed to the game-long sulking of Rodgers.
It was a sight that Detroit fans have not seen very often in the Lions' matchups with the 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
Rodgers has dominated the Ford family-run franchise over the years, with an 18-7 head-to-head record against the Lions. Yet, it wasn't the case for at least one week: Week 9 of the 2022 season.
Rodgers may never struggle against the Lions again as much as he did on Sunday. And, Detroit's defense may never take advantage of his inefficient play again as much as it did this week.
So, Lions fans, mark this date down: November 6, 2022. Because what you just saw -- a stymieing of Rodgers by a Detroit defense -- might never happen again.
