Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers shares a moment with former quarterback Brett Favre during a ceremony for the late Bart Starr at halftime of the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on September 15, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Brett Favre might not have always appreciated Aaron Rodgers as an understudy, but the Hall of Famer quarterback certainly doesn’t mind talking up his Green Bay Packers predecessor now that he is deep into his retirement.
The current and former Packers passers were both guests on Tuesday afternoon’s SiriusXM’s NFL Radio show and spent much of their time looking ahead to Green Bay’s upcoming matchup against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday in the NFC Championship game, but Favre also took a little time to draw some comparisons between him and Rodgers — particularly an area where the two are vastly different over their careers.
“How little you turn the ball over, to me, is just baffling,” Favre told Rodgers on the show.
How would @Packers Quarterback @AaronRodgers12 write the story of the season so far?
You will want to hear what he told @BrettFavre and @BruceMurrayNFL…
The differences are pretty stark between the two Packers legends with Favre being known in his career for turning the ball over. It sounds almost unbelievable, but Favre threw nearly three times as many interceptions as Rodgers during his 16 seasons in Green Bay. He finished with 286 picks in 255 career games in a Packers uniform, while Rodgers has been picked off just 84 times in 181 games.
Favre led the NFL in interceptions three times during his 19-year career and only once during his time as a starter produced a season with fewer than double-digit picks. Rodgers, on the other hand, has reached the double-digit mark just twice since taking over as the full-time starter in 2008 — though, he might’ve added a few more in both 2013 and 2017 if he’d played full seasons.
Taking care of the ball has been one of Rodgers’ greatest attributes this season for the Packers, even as some of his other numbers have declined. The two-time MVP was picked off once in four different games, three of which ended in victories, and threw a career-low two interceptions in 2018.
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Rodgers Wants to Deflate 49ers’ Home Crowd
While their conversation was filled with plenty of friendly, humorous moments, Rodgers and Favre did talk some shop ahead of the Packers’ big rematch this Sunday with the 49ers.
“We know we have to start fast and find a way to get that crowd out of it, just a little quieter,” Rodgers told Favre. “Because you know it’s going to be a rocking, loud and hostile environment.”
The Packers are quite familiar with all that can go wrong inside Levi’s Stadium after suffering their worst loss of the season there back in Week 12 coming out of their bye week. The 49ers outplayed them in all three phases and mobbed their way to a 37-8 victory under the prime-time lights. Now the stage is even bigger with each side striving not to underestimate the others with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday he warned his players not to take the Packers lightly this time around with a simple message: “Don’t be stupid.”
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