Getty Aaron Rodgers celebrates a 2023 game vs. Minnesota.
The Detroit Lions managed to beat the Green Bay Packers earlier this season in Week 9 15-9, but they didn’t feel the love from their opponents after the contest.
Aaron Rodgers seems to have frustrated the team a lot with his words, and Detroit safety DeShon Elliott offered a big response when talking about the opposing quarterback this past week.
As Elliott said to the media as shown by Dov Kleiman, he doesn’t appreciate how Rodgers carries himself and believes that he doesn’t respect Detroit. As a result, the Lions are going to bring the fight to him in Week 18.
“Lions Safety DeShon Elliott spoke about Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: “The way he carries himself, I don’t like none of that s***. A-Rod doesn’t respect us, that team doesn’t respect us. We’re going to fight our ass off, play smash mouth football,” Elliott said as posted on Twitter by Kleiman.
It’s clear the Lions are motivated by the challenge of taking on Rodgers, and in the case of Elliott, perhaps extremely motivated.
Rodgers Jabbed Lions With Earlier Comments
So what did Rodgers say to draw the ire of the Lions? There’s been several comments, but as Kleiman points out, perhaps the edgiest was when he jabbed the team following the loss in November.
Rodgers said that the Packers “couldn’t lose a game like that against that team” in reference to Detroit and their win. Perhaps that’s what is sitting poorly with the Lions and Elliott in the lead into this game.
“After the Lions beat the Packers on Week 9, with Aaron Rodgers throwing 3 INTs, this is what he said: “Can’t lose a game like that against that team.” Could this be what Elliott is referring to?,” Kleiman wrote in a tweet.
For the Lions part, the team has had a mixed response when asked about Rodgers this week. Quarterback Jared Goff spoke on January 4, and said that he and the team hear the comments, but understand Rodgers is just outspoken. He’s still looking forward to the contest.
“I think he’s very outspoken. I got a lot of respect for him, but we’re aware absolutely and it’ll be a good game. It’ll be fun. We’ll see where it falls,” Goff said.
Elliott Questionable But Likely to Play
Elliott has missed Detroit’s last two games with a shoulder injury, but could he come back for Week 18? That’s very possible, and clearly that something the defender wants for himself and his team.
Twitter user Everything Lions captured a very interesting screen grab from Elliott’s Instagram. It seems to hint that Elliot will be coming back for the game and set to play in the season finale.
Does this mean @officialshon_4 is playing?
“Y’all thought I would miss this? Gotta get that monyun,” Elliot posted on the site as shown in the tweet along with a laughter emoji.
To end the week, the Lions listed Elliott as questionable on the injury report, but there’s been little to indicate that he won’t be in the lineup when all is said and done on Sunday night.
Elliott missed the last two games against Carolina and Chicago, but the hope has been that he could return at some point over the final two weeks of the season.
The Lions will need him in a big way for the final NFC North contest to close the season against Green Bay, and that might only be more the case after hearing how fired up he could be for the game.