For so long, Aaron Rodgers has tormented the Lions. The roles were reversed Sunday at Ford Field.
The worst defense in the NFL humbled one of the best quarterbacks ever in Detroit's 15-9 win over Green Bay.
And Rodgers couldn't take it.
"You can tell in his face," said Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes, who sacked Rodgers for one of his game-high 12 tackles. "I saw it a little bit last year in the last game of the season. You can kind of tell when he’s frustrated and things are not going his way. But that’s what happens when you have a defense that comes out and executes."
The Packers' first drive ended at Detroit's five-yard line when Rodgers fired a pass into Barnes' helmet that ricocheted into the air and was intercepted in the end zone by rookie safety Kerby Joseph. Rodgers reacted by apparently yelling at his teammates on the sideline.
The Packers' second drive ended at Detroit's one-yard line when Rodgers underthrew a pass to left tackle David Bakhtiari, of all people, that was picked off in the end zone by rookie defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. It marked the first time in Rodgers' career that he'd thrown two red-zone interceptions in the same game.
After kneeling to end the first half, the Packers' fourth drive ended in a punt after Rodgers underthrew a deep ball to receiver Samori Toure for what would have been a touchdown. Toure had a step on two defenders, but Rodgers' throw allowed Joseph to extend his arm and break it up at the last second -- which sent the four-time MVP into a mini temper tantrum.
The Packers' fifth drive, which started at Detroit's 23 after an interception by Jared Goff, ended at Detroit's 22 when Rodgers was picked off yet again by Joseph, a third-round pick out of Illinois who entered Sunday's game with one pass defended and zero interceptions in his young career.
For Rodgers, the three picks marked a career high. He threw four all of last season and hadn't thrown three in a game in five years. In 24 career games against the Lions prior to Sunday, Rodgers had a passer rating of 108.8. His passer rating on Sunday: 53.5.
"Had some shi*ty throws, for sure," Rodgers said. "Kid (Joseph) made a nice one down the middle (on the third pick), but the other two, probably should have just checked out of that play and handed the ball off on the first one and was a little bit off balance and threw a bad one to Dave (on the second)."
Rodgers finally got the Packers on the board with a touchdown pass to Allen Lazard late in the third quarter to cut the Lions' lead to 8-6. But with a chance to win the game, the Packers's final drive ended at Detroit's 17 after Rodgers threw four straight incompletions to turn it over on downs.
"We can’t lose a game like that against that team," he said. "So that’s going to hurt for a while.”
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