Last Monday night’s game against the Bills was – by every measure – more important for the Patriots than Sunday night’s against the Packers will be.
A divisional game against an AFC opponent? Those are always more critical than out-of-conference matchups like this one against Green Bay.
But in 10 years, you won’t easily remember what happened in that Tom Brady-Derek Anderson field goal fest.
Meanwhile, you’ll remember what happens Sunday night at Gillette Stadium for a long time. Because this rare duel between two transcendent, future Hall of Famers is only the second time they’ve shared a field and could very well be the last time.
The 2014 game at Lambeau was a fascinating. Green Bay won 26-21 with the key play coming just before the half when Rodgers found Jordy Nelson for a 45-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The Patriots had just narrowed the lead to 16-14 and were getting the ball to start the second half but Rodgers froze Devin McCourty, who was the single safety in the middle of the field, by looking left. When Nelson, coming from the right boundary, got a step to the inside on Darrelle Revis, Rodgers snapped his head back around, delivered a dart and caught McCourty leaning. Nelson took it to the house.
You probably remembered that play without my filling in the details.
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That’s why this is so anticipated. It’s an event.
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Earlier this week, I had Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth on Quick Slants the Podcast. Collinsworth plumbs every aspect of the matchup, from historical import to technical expertise and the merits of this matchup compared to say, Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady.
“The Peyton Manning one was about MVPs vs. Super Bowl rings,” said Collinsworth. “This conversation is very different, this conversation is even more intriguing to me because it has to do with physical gifts.
“Tom Brady, as we all know is not ultimately so mobile although he has made plays moving around in the pocket and with the occasional scramble,” said Collinsworth. “But with Aaron Rodgers, it’s his mobility and his arm strength that really sets him apart. Plus, from an intellectual standpoint, Aaron Rodgers is the equal of those other two guys.”
When the game begins, the majority of the conversation between Collinsworth and the great Al Michaels will revolve around what’s happening on the field. Brady and Rodgers will be at the center of that, but that may not be the ideal time for detailed conversation on whether or not Rodgers can lay claim to any part of the “best ever” discussion.
When I asked Collinsworth for an answer, he said, “I wish I had that answer. The easy answer is to always say the guy who has the most championships. That’s Tom Brady. You can’t deny what he’s done. Especially in the biggest of moments. In the biggest of moments, Tom has been unbelievable, even when they’ve lost. You can never deny that championship mindset that he has.
“But it’s fun to flirt around the edges,” we flirt around the edges plenty in the pod. Give a listen.
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