Green Bay Packers fans — and fans across the NFL in general — are laughing at the Detroit Lions this week.
The Packers and the Lions play on Sunday night in a massive game. If Green Bay wins, they make the playoffs. If they lose, Detroit or the Seattle Seahawks (if they beat the Los Angeles Rams) makes the playoffs.
Detroit is apparently trying to motivate themselves by pretending that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been disrespecting the Lions this week.
In all actuality, Rodgers has actually been complimentary of Detroit.
Here’s a sampling of what Detroit players have been saying.
DeShon Elliott latest to say Aaron Rodgers doesn’t respect Detroit. “The way he carries himself, I don’t like none of that shit.”
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) January 6, 2023
Elliott: “A-Rod doesn’t respect us, that team doesn’t respect us…We’re going to fight our ass off, play smashmouth football, just ’cause of the respect factor. Like, we all got here someway, somehow. Ya, he’s a Hall-of-Famer, but I just don’t respect the way he’s been talking”
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) January 6, 2023
Rodgers actually said that the Lions have been playing “as good as just about anybody in the league the last nine weeks”.
Aaron Rodgers this week on the Lions: “They’ve been playing really good football, as good as just about anybody in the league the last nine weeks.”
Lions going the Michael Jordan make up stuff to motivate yourself route. Not a bad play. https://t.co/K1If8WaMgw
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 6, 2023
The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman is correct — the Lions are going full Michael Jordan here. They’re just making stuff up to try to get motivated for a big game.
Whatever works I guess. But everyone in the NFL knows that Rodgers wasn’t talking trash about Detroit this week. Quite the opposite.
Maybe it’ll work for the Lions. We’ll find out Sunday night. But there’s one thing they need to realize — Rodgers and the Packers can find motivation in the most unlikely places as well. And I’m sure they’ll take note of the Lions twisting Rodgers’ words this week.
