Can Rodgers vs Stafford become a top QB rivalry?
By Matt Urben
Peyton Manning retired at the end of last season, ending one of the greatest quarterback rivalries in NFL history.
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning played practically every year in either the regular season, the playoffs, or sometimes both. While quarterback rivalries tend to be more a product of the media — since the two players are never on the field at the same time — Brady versus Manning rarely disappointed.
With Manning gone, and Brady now 39-years-old, it’s time to look for the next great potential rivalry. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has reached that elite level, but there really hasn’t been a worthy opponent. Matthew Stafford has never produced consistently enough to prove worthy of that kind of hype. Well, that was the case for most of his career at least. As Pride of Detroit wrote yesterday, over the past 10 games you can make a valid point that Stafford has been the better quarterback more recently.
Since the Lions’ coordinator change midway through last season, Stafford’s been as good as any quarterback in the league. Rodgers, meanwhile, has somewhat struggled during that same stretch without his top option – Jordy Nelson. I think it would be unwise to assume Rodgers’ struggles are anything more than a temporary blip. When he has the right pieces around him and some time in the pocket, he’s proven to be one of the most accurate passers in NFL history.
The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers have always had a great rivalry, albeit a one-sided one for most of the past ten years. However, the teams are 3-3 in their last six matchups and Stafford seems to be closing the gap between the two. The Lions got a huge monkey off of their back, beating the Packers at Lambeau Field for the first time in over 20 years last season. Detroit, after a 1-7 start, nearly made a playoff push to finish the 2015 season before Rodgers killed those aspirations with his walk-off hail mary at Ford Field. Stafford played two of his better games against the Packers last year. Over the past ten games, Stafford looks to have mentally reached a new level in terms of leadership and ability to produce in big games.
If you look around the league, there just aren’t many situations that set up as rivalries. Due to the Lions and Packers being in the same division, we are guaranteed (barring injury) at least 10 Stafford-Rodgers matchups over the next five years. If the Lions can somehow become a consistently respectable franchise over that time, there’s a good chance the hype surrounding these games will continue to grow. Both teams ask their quarterbacks to carry them more than the average team, which is really what helped Manning-Brady become what it was.
The two teams meet at Lambeau Field this weekend. Both are 1-1, with a chance to bury the other. The Packers’ offense has not looked very good this year. It’s actually been their defense that’s kept them in the first two games. The Lions’ offense has been clicking on all cylinders so far but they have been shamefully bad on defense through two games.
Detroit has lost some key defensive players to injury this season and most expect Rodgers to have a breakout game against a suspect Lions secondary. If Detroit is able to do the unthinkable and win two straight games in Wisconsin, this rivalry could get some real legs underneath it. There’s no guarantee it will become even a tenth of the rivalry Brady vs Manning was. As two division rivals with two of the most talented passers in football, the possibility is real. Stafford needs to produce in the playoffs to ever come close to Rodgers. But, he is nearly five years younger and his best days are likely ahead of him still. We will see how the two stack up this Sunday.
Other Possible QB Rivalries of the Future:
Andrew Luck vs Blake Bortles
Cam Newton vs Jameis Winston
Russell Wilson vs Aaron Rodgers
Carson Wentz vs Dak Prescott