‘Teary-Eyed’ Rodgers Calls Breaking Favre’s Record ‘Special’
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers should have broken Brett Favre’s franchise record for touchdown passes on Sunday at Baltimore
Perhaps the football gods intervened that day, because breaking that record at Lambeau Field on Saturday made the moment infinitely more memorable for the 38-year-old, increasingly nostalgic quarterback.
Rodgers made Green Bay Packers history with 5:13 remaining in the first quarter when he threw the 443rd touchdown pass of his career, knocking the legendary Favre out of first place in the team record book.
“To throw 443 on double-stick, one of the first concepts I learned as a rookie in this offense, is pretty cool,” Rodgers said after a 24-22 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Christmas. “I’ve had a long career, and to break a record like that on a simple play like that, a staple of the West Coast offense, is pretty cool. They were playing inside leverage and off. We had a different route on, just kind of adjusted the route slightly from in-breakers to out-breakers. Felt like Allen was going to win based on the leverage pre-snap.”
On third-and-5 from the 11, Rodgers hit Lazard in stride at the first-down marker. Lazard turned up field and dove head-long toward the goal line, with the football striking the pylon for the score.
“I wasn’t quite sure if he was in or not,” Rodgers said. “They were looking at it and looking at it, but then the celebration started and then I got to celebrate with the guys. It was really special.”
Rodgers was mobbed by his teammates, then went to the bench. After Mason Crosby kicked the extra point, the team played a video tribute that featured some of Rodgers’ big plays – including his first career touchdown pass to Greg Jennings in Dallas as Favre’s backup in 2007. The camera then turned to Rodgers, who saluted the cheering crowd. Finally, there was a congratulatory video message from Favre.
“That was really cool,” Rodgers said. “To see from the first touchdown to Greg, on down the line, some of the memorable ones over the years, and then to get a message from Favre definitely got me a little teary eyed on the bench. Moment I’ll never forget, for sure, and I’m thankful for Favre’s message, the response from the guys, and the crowd was obviously very special.”
Rodgers would have set the record last week at Baltimore had he not just missed Lazard in the fourth quarter. On Saturday, Lazard did the hard work on the record-breaker.
“My reaction was just like, ‘Oh, shit, I caught it,’” Lazard said. “I wasn’t focused on it or anything. I didn’t have a plan after to do anything special for him or anything. But once I caught it, I knew I was in and saw the ref signal it. It was a pretty great feeling. It was just being on that part of history. Seeing his picture up there with the 443 and then I was just thinking about my journey, that this dude’s thrown 443 touchdowns and I have (10) in the past three years. Just to be part of his legacy, to be part of his organization, it was a huge moment of gratitude for me and for everyone else.”
Rodgers illustrated the value of having not just a great quarterback but a smart, accurate quarterback. Over the last five games, Rodgers has thrown 16 touchdowns vs. zero interceptions. He has four interceptions this season – two since Week 1 – five in 2020 and four in 2019. Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield, on the other hand, tossed four interceptions on Saturday alone.
A little better quarterback play from Mayfield would have given the Browns a pivotal win instead of a potentially fatal loss for their playoff hopes. Even after Mayfield’s three first-half interceptions led to three touchdown passes by Rodgers, the Browns had a chance to win the game before Mayfield threw his fourth and final pick of the day. In many ways, the Browns were the better team. But Rodgers was the better quarterback. As has so often been the case over the years, that was the difference.
So, Rodgers got to savor his moment and walk off Lambeau Field to chants of “MVP” following a fourth consecutive win that bumped the team’s record to 12-3.
“To be a part of history like that with this franchise is something I’m really proud of and extremely grateful for,” Rodgers said. “The opportunity to play here for so long, to have my path crossed by so many incredible, influential people along the way, from coaches and players and teammates to front-office individuals, weight-room folks and training-room folks, and everybody on the third floor that I’ve gotten to know over the years, this is a special place. To be a part of history like this is not lost on me at all. Really grateful for all my years here and the response from the fans.”
Aaron Rodgers Breaks Brett Favre's Record for TD Passes
