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Aaron Rodgers has faced many worthy opponents throughout his career, including Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. But that particular rivalry could soon come to a close.
The quarterback and the Green Bay Packers defeated Belichick and the Patriots by a score of 27 -24 in overtime, giving New England their third loss of the 2022 season.
In a postgame interview, the Packers signal-caller eluded to the idea that the Week 4 matchup could be the final time he faces Belichick in his career
“It likely is the last [game against Belichick], so lot of respect for Bill. Nice to beat him, that brings us to 2-1.”
The four-time NFL MVP heaped praise on the future Hall of Fame head coach when asked about their encounter before the matchup at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon:
“The way that [Belichick] coaches, the success he’s had — he’s a phenomenal leader and always has his guys ready to play. Those were some of the sentiments I’m sure I echoed, and I’ll leave the rest to the stray microphones that probably caught some of it."
Rodgers threw for 251 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception in the Packers' third win of the season.
As the 38-year-old eluded to, it was his third (and likely) final encounter with the Patriots. Here's a look back at the previous two times the two NFL titans locked horns.
Rodgers versus the Patriots in his career
Rodgers and his first encounter as the Packers starter versus the Patriots came in Week 13 of the 2014 season.
The quarterback threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns in the 26 -21 win at Lambeau. However, Belichick and New England got the better of the Super Bowl-winning signal-caller in Week Nine of the 2018 season. The Patriots defeated the Packers 31-17 at Gillette Stadium.
Belichick was unreserved in talking about the performance of the 10-time Pro Bowler after the loss:
“In the end, Rodgers was just too good. He made some throws that only Rodgers can make. We had pretty good coverage on some of those and he was just too smart, too good, too accurate. In the end he got us."
Without question, there's a level of mutual respect between the 70-year-old head coach and the Green Bay quarterback.
Although their Week 4 game is their last matchup on the field as competitors, they'll be on the same team in Canton, Ohio, once it's all said and done.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Pro Football Talk, Boston.com, and H/T Sportskeeda.
