The Detroit Lions appear to have some extra motivation as they prepare to go up against Aaron Rodgers in a do-or-die game Sunday.
Lions players have been irked with some comments Rodgers made after their first meeting of the season, which some of them found disrespectful. Safety DeShon Elliott is among those critical, and he made clear that he feels Rodgers does not have respect for the Lions.
“The way he carries himself, I don’t like none of that s–t,” Elliott said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.
Elliott went a step further, accusing the entire Packers team of disrespecting the Lions.
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
Elliott is not the only player to feel this way. After the Lions beat the Packers in Week 9, Rodgers made a remark that was taken by some in the locker room as a slight.
“We can’t lose a game like that against that team, no,” Rodgers said at the time.
At that point, of course, the Lions were just 2-6, but they have surged to 8-8 since then. It is a classic example of players seizing on something as fuel that may otherwise have seemed innocuous.
Rodgers has alienated plenty of rival fans over the years, and even some players. The Lions have the unique opportunity to end his season with a Week 18 win, though with the stakes that high, a win at Lambeau Field will be tough.
