Getty Aaron Rodgers makes a throw in a game against the Buffalo Bills.
Aaron Rodgers will be in completely uncharted territory against the Buffalo Bills.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback has struggled as his team stumbled to a 3-4 start, losing on Sunday to the Washington Commanders. The Packers now have the difficult task of going to Buffalo to face the 5-1 Bills in a primetime game — and will have to face a Bills team that is coming out of a bye week and close to full health.
The challenge that Rodgers and the Packers face has been reflected in their betting odds, which reached an unprecedented number for the former league MVP.
Rodgers a Double-Digit Dog for First Time in 18-Year Career
Since Rodgers took over as Green Bay’s quarterback in 2008, the team has had just three losing seasons and has made the playoffs 11 times. While the Packers were not favored in every game during that stretch, Rodgers was never a double-digit underdog at any point in his career — until this week.
As WGR 550’s Joe DiBiase pointed out, the Packers opened as 11-point underdogs to the Bills. The previous high mark for Rodgers came eight years ago, he noted.
“The most Aaron Rodgers has ever been an underdog by in his career was +8.5 at Seattle in 2014 Packers are +11 at the Bills on Sunday night,” he wrote.
Aaron Rodgers: Going to Buffalo on Sunday Night Football, might be the best thing for us. #BillsMafia
The Packers ended up losing that game 36-16, with Rodgers struggling against what would be a Super Bowl team in Seattle. He threw for just 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Bills have been heavy favorites in many of their games so far this season, yet have still managed to go 4-1-1 against the spread.
Packers Looking to Get Back on Track
Coming into Buffalo for a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Bills, Rodgers will be trying to get the Packers back on track after three straight losses. The Green Bay quarterback completed 23 of 35 passes for 194 yards against the Commanders on Sunday, with the team going 0 for 6 on third down.
Aaron Rodgers after the last play of the Packers-Commanders game.
“We just got to play better — all of us,” Rodgers said, via ESPN. “There’s probably a number of plays in every phase that we could’ve done better. The margin of error is so tight, a couple calls don’t necessarily go our way and we don’t execute at all on offense in certain situations. …
“It’s not winning football.”
He could face an uphill battle against an aggressive Bills defense that has been getting healthier after an early spate of injuries. Though All-Pro safety Micah Hyde is out for the season with a neck injury, the Bills could be close to getting their other All-Pro back in the lineup. Tre’Davious White was taken off the physically unable to perform list and could be ready to play for Sunday’s game.
If he can’t go, Bills head coach Sean McDermott is confident that the next man up is up to the task.
“We have depth,” McDermott said. “We’ve had a number of guys miss games and I thought that guys did a great job of just being resilient. The guys that were called upon to play, were prepared and did a good job there, and that’s a credit to our coaches as well having them ready to go.”