Jordan Love Downplays Significance of Facing Aaron Rodgers in Week 8 Clash
Jordan Love claims Week 8's face off against former teammate Aaron Rodgers is just 'another game' for the Packers' fifth-year quarterback.
The Green Bay Packers travel to western Pennsylvania to square off against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football in Week 8. The prime time matchup marks the first time the future Hall of Famer has faced his former team since departing Green Bay after the 2022 season. But Rodgers is downplaying the revenge game narrative surrounding Sunday’s clash.
His counterpart and former teammate Jordan Love struck a similar tone when discussing the Week 8 showdown.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s another game. Obviously going into this week, it’s going to be one of those very talked about matchups,” Love acknowledged, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood. “We’re not going against each other head to head, but obviously it’s going to be a fun game. We’re both competitors. We both want to come out with this win. So I’m just excited to see him,” Love said.
The Packers passed the torch to Jordan Love
“Just from my time with A-Rod and his time with the Packers it’s going to be hyped up. But at the end of the day it’s another game. I'm going against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense and he’s going against the Green Bay Packers’ defense,” Love added.
Rodgers spent 18 seasons in Green Bay, winning Super Bowl XLV with the team and collecting four MVP Awards, four first-team All-Pro honors and 10 Pro Bowl nods.
Despite winning league MVP in 2020 (and again the following season), the Packers traded up to select Love 26th overall in the 2020 draft. The move came as a surprise and bore a striking resemblance to Green Bay’s decision to draft Rodgers in the first round (24th overall) of the 2005 draft despite having three-time MVP Brett Favre.
But while Favre famously remarked that it wasn’t his job to mentor the player drafted to replace him, Rodgers reportedly had a positive relationship with Love. Still, the writing was on the wall and the team traded Rodgers to the New York Jets in 2023.
The Packers passed the torch to Love, hoping he would join Bart Starr, Favre and Rodgers in Green Bay's rich quarterbacking history.
Now with the Steelers, Rodgers helped Pittsburgh to a 4-2 start. In Week 8, the 41-year-old passer faces a 4-1-1 Packers team that leads the NFC North. Head coach Matt LaFleur also
The Detroit Lions Just Got a Reason to Like Tom Brady
The Detroit Lions are NFL darlings this season, and they actually have been the past few seasons. The team is 5-2 after taking down one of the most promising teams in the NFL this season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a 24-9 final score, and now, people are talking about the team, from NFL experts and analysts to moms and dads at the dinner table.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs was extra special during the game, clocking 218 yards and two rushing touchdowns, according to ESPN. The Detroit Lions are now 13-4 following a loss since the start of the 2022 season, which is the second-best record in NFL over that timespan after the Kansas City Chiefs (11-2), according to ESPN Research.
“Gibbs broke free up the middle for the longest run of his NFL career with a 78-yard touchdown with 5:51 left in the first half,” Eric Woodyard of ESPN adds. “Gibbs’ top speed was 22.2 mph, the fastest rushing TD by an offensive ball carrier this season, per Next Gen Stats. He is the only player over the past three seasons to reach 22 mph on a rushing touchdown, and he has done it twice now, including on a 70-yard touchdown versus the Titans in 2024.”
Even Tom Brady is Noticing the Detroit Lions
So, the Lions are on fire, and even legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady is taking notice. Brady released his Fox Sports power rankings on Wednesday, October 22, and he has the Lions at No. 1.
“Make it three straight weeks that the No. 1 team in Tom Brady’s power rankings has gone down,” the article notes, since Brady has the Bucs at No. 1 last week. “After getting anointed as the No. 1 team last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost decisively to the Detroit Lions in Week 7. The result was just one of many that’s brought some chaos to the top as we continue to figure out who the contenders in the league are nearly halfway through the season.”
The article adds, “Even the GOAT needed some help to round out his latest top 10, so much so that he called upon a coin to help him pick his 10th team.”
The Detroit Lions Are No. 1
He didn’t need a coin to pick his first favorite team, though. That team is the Lions. Brady also talks up the Detroit Lions’ stars, from Gibbs to quarterback Jared Goff.
“The Lions are No. 1 after dominating last week’s leader [the Buccaneers],” he states in the piece. “The stars were out with the contributions from Amon-Ra St. Brown, [Jahmyr] Gibbs and [Jared] Goff. I can’t wait to hear that crowd on Thanksgiving.”
The NFL’s official website agrees, too. They have the Lions at No. 1, with lead draft writer Eric Edholm stating, “Detroit’s undermanned secondary stepped up in a massive way in Monday’s statement victory over Tampa Bay. The home team entered the night alarmingly shorthanded in the defensive backfield, and then Rock Ya-Sin had to miss some snaps with cramps.”
The Detroit Lions may have fallen to the Chiefs this season, but that was a rarity. They’re obviously ready to stake their claim as the kings of the NFC North.
