Tom Brady has faced many great quarterbacks over his Hall of Fame career. From Peyton Manning with the Colts and Broncos to Drew Brees with the Chargers and now the Saints, who he faces twice a year in the NFC South. The Brady vs. Manning rival games always had a significant impact on who represented the AFC in the Super Bowl. The Brady and Brees matchups have been fewer and far between but have resulted in a few classics. On Sunday, Brady goes up against another great quarterback in Green Bay Packers’ signal-caller, Aaron Rodgers.
This will be the third time the two have gone head to head, the first with Brady as a Buccaneer. The first meeting came in 2014 when the Packers hosted the Patriots at Lambeau Field. Rodgers threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns, in the 26-21 win. In the second meeting, Brady would pull off the win, 31-17, throwing for 298 yards and a touchdown at Gillette Stadium.
In 2020, Rodgers is in the MVP discussion. He’s completing 70.5 percent of his passes and has the Packers offense ranked first in scoring and the team undefeated. Rodgers has thrown 13 touchdowns and no interceptions to the tune of a 128.4 passer rating. Through five games, Brady has thrown 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He is completing 64.3 percent of his passes and has a 96.8 passer rating.
Tom Brady Inspires Older Players Like Rodgers
Rodgers has been in awe of Brady’s longevity in the NFL. Brady at (43) is still playing at a high level and part of it is how he takes care of himself physically and mentally. Following his knee injury in 2008, Brady re-invented the way he trained, and his continued high level of play, and health, is a testament to it.
Rodgers has bought in hopes of extending his career. Rodgers has taken steps to train differently, eat healthier, and get rest. Many of the strategies he read in his copy of Brady’s book “TB12” lifestyle book. Both quarterbacks are leaders and winners and will go down as two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Unless Rodgers finishes his career with an AFC team, we will likely never see the dream Super Bowl matchup but an NFC Championship game or two may be in the cards.
The Buccaneers Need To Play Mistake Free Football Sunday, To Win
When it comes to the game today, the Buccaneers can beat the Packers Sunday by getting to Rodgers early, of course, but most importantly, they need to play disciplined football. It doesn’t matter who the quarterback of the Bucs is when penalties prevent you from moving the ball. You will not be on Brady’s good graces long if mistakes like that continue to occur. Fortunately for the Bucs, they are healthier on offense than they were 10 days ago in their one-point loss to the Bears on Thursday Night Football.