Aaron Rodgers facing his original team is the headline of Sunday night’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s a reason why the powers-that-be made sure to keep this game stateside and in a primetime slot. But the Packers see the storyline as mere tinsel in the way of stacking another win. Monday, head coach Matt LaFleur made that clear Monday.
“We’re playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happen to have Aaron Rodgers,” LaFleur said during his press conference. “It’s as simple as that. That is for you guys to talk about. Granted, I mean we’ve got a lot of respect and love for Aaron. I mean, what he’s done here. He is a Hall of Famer. And I know our past together, we had a lot of great moments. But this game is not about that.”
Rodgers will face the Packers for the first time since being traded from Green Bay ahead of the 2023 season. He has a chance to join the rare club of quarterbacks to beat all 32 NFL teams, though his personal stake in the game goes far deeper than that. A place he called home for 18 seasons, winning four MVPs and a Super Bowl.
Rodgers himself referenced it earlier this year. Though Rodgers was in a similar situation against the New York Jets Week 1, he noted that storyline meant less than it would against the Packers because of Rodgers’ brief time with the Jets. He has far more history and reverence in Green Bay. Rodgers turned back the clock to throw four touchdowns and beat New York, a feat he’d like to replicate this weekend.
LaFleur pivoted to what the game’s top storyline should be.
“It’s about going to Pittsburgh, Sunday Night Football,” he said. “Our guys will be jacked up. Their guys will be jacked up. It’s about the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Scheduled to speak later in the week, Rodgers will be peppered with questions about what Sunday night means. Probably, Rodgers himself isn’t fully sure how he will feel or react until he’s on the field. But like the Packers, he and the Steelers have a job to do. Pittsburgh is looking to avoid its first losing streak of the season. History says the Steelers will win, 7-2 coming off a Thursday road loss, but that history will only continue if the team plays better. That means eliminating the two offensive turnovers and defense that must step up in every area.
“I don’t even know if many of these guys played with him,” LaFleur said of Rodgers.
A handful of notable Packers’ players have. A couple offensive lineman, receivers like Romeo Doubs (who Rodgers once specifically inquired about early this season), and, of course, Jordan Love. The quarterback drafted as his replacement just in the way Rodgers entered to succeed Brett Favre. LaFleur is keeping things in perspective.
I’m gonna talk about how we, just like we do every week, what is our blueprint and what are our keys to go to Pittsburgh. Which is a damn good football team and a really tough, hostile environment, and try to play our best. Because we haven’t put our best yet to date.”
A prideful man, beating the Packers will mean a lot to Rodgers. And it’ll mean a lot to Pittsburgh maintaining control of the division, too.
