The Green Bay Packers quarterback has a history of success against the Detroit Lions, and this week will be no different. Rodgers is guaranteed to throw four touchdowns if a historical trend continues.
Aaron Rodgers is guaranteed to throw 4 touchdowns against the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football if a historical trend continues.
Since head coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers joined up two-plus seasons ago, the Green Bay Packers haven’t had many blowouts. In reality, really one-sided defeats have only occurred twice until last week, when the New Orleans Saints won their Week 1 game in Jacksonville, Florida 38-3, for the third time.
This was Green Bay’s worst defeat under LaFleur, but Cheeseheads should be more thrilled than concerned about the upcoming game. Rodgers usually seems to bounce back fast after these big defeats, taking his rage out on the next opponent on the schedule.
The Detroit Lions, the Packer’s next Monday Night Football opponent, will not be pleased.
The Green Bay Packers’ thrashing by the New Orleans Saints was Matt LaFleur’s worst defeat.
Aaron Rodgers | Image courtesy of Getty Images/Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire
Matt LaFleur is in his third season as the head coach of the legendary Green Bay Packers. In the two and a half years since the former Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator took over, the club has only lost nine games.
Under LaFleur’s direction, the Packers completed both seasons with identical 13-3 records. In 2019, the club lost in the NFC Championship game to the San Francisco 49ers, who were coached by one of LaFleur’s mentors, Kyle Shanahan, and in 2020, the team fell to the eventual Super Bowl winner Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the same stage in the playoffs.
While six of LaFleur’s defeats were routine, there were three that stood out.
Green Bay went to San Francisco in Week 12 of 2019 and received a 37-8 thrashing at the hands of Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, and the 49ers. The Packers lost 38-10 to Tom Brady, Ronald Jones II, and the Buccaneers during a Week 6 trip to Tampa Bay in 2020.
The third notable defeat occurred last Sunday, when the New Orleans Saints’ 35-point victory marked LaFleur’s worst loss as a head coach.
Aaron Rodgers has had a strong response to blowouts.
While no team likes to get blown out, the Packers had to feel a bit pumped after their loss to the Saints. That’s because of what Aaron Rodgers has done in the past after a blowout defeat.
After losing to the Niners in 2019, Rodgers and the Packers avenged themselves the following week against the lowly New York Giants. That night, the then-2-10 NFC East team had no answer for Rodgers’ brilliance, and Green Bay blew them away, winning 31-13.
In New Jersey, Rodgers had a terrific and very effective night. The quarterback threw for 243 yards on 21 of 33 attempts. He also completed touchdown passes to Davante Adams (two), Allen Lazard, and Marcedes Lewis for a total of four touchdowns.
A year after the Brady humiliation, the Rodgers-led Packers retaliated quickly and decisively, defeating the 1-6 Houston Texans 35-20. Rodgers was brutally efficient once again, completing 23-of-34 passes for 283 yards. In this game, he also had four throwing touchdowns, completing scoring drives to Adams (twice), Malik Taylor, and Jace Sternberger.
If this pattern continues, the Detroit Lions may be in for a lot of trouble this week on Monday Night Football.
Against a weak Detroit Lions secondary, Rodgers will try to add to his four touchdown passes.
If history holds true, Rodgers should have a 20-plus completion, 250-ish yard, and four touchdown game against the Lions on Monday.
To make such a matchup more likely, the 37-year-old quarterback will face a shaky Lions secondary still grieving from the loss of Jeff Okudah, the third-overall selection in the 2020 draft. In Week 1, the cornerback tore his left Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season.
As a result of Okudah’s injury, Detroit now has very little experience or highly-drafted talent at cornerback. On the borders, third-year fifth-round selection Amani Oruwariye and third-round rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu will start. AJ Parker and Jerry Jacobs, both undrafted free agents, will also get more playing time.
Rodgers, Adams, and the rest of the team will surely be licking their chops in anticipation of Monday Night Football.
And, if history is any indication, it will be a long night of watching Aaron Rodgers throw touchdown passes over and over (and over).
Pro Football Reference provided all stats.
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