Jerry Jacobs Supplies Mental Edge Over Aaron Rodgers in Solid Return

Jerry Jacobs

Getty Jerry Jacobs celebrates the Lions game in Cleveland in 2021.

The Detroit Lions have struggled against Aaron Rodgers in his career, but it’s possible that the tide is getting set to turn in a big way within that matchup.

Rodgers has lost his last two contests against the Lions, and in Week 9, he looked pretty dreadful when going up against Detroit’s much-maligned defensive backfield. One of the players who may have given the team a mental edge that led to their win is cornerback Jerry Jacobs.

Before halftime, Jacobs was spotted chatting with Rodgers as he was walking off the field. The pair was exchanging smiles and pleasantries, and as Colton Pouncey of The Athletic tweeted, the trash talk was a pretty fun development.

“Asked Jerry Jacobs what he said to Aaron Rodgers at halftime. Seemed pretty playful/harmless. Jacobs: “Dang, bruh, you gonna stop trying me?” Rodgers, laughing: “You’re doing good. Keep going,” Pouncey tweeted.

As much as this exchange was clearly playful, Jacobs may have etched himself into the annals of Lions fan lore going at Rodgers like that amid one of the biggest wins the team has enjoyed in the series. In the end, Jacobs would go on to get the best of Rodgers, who was clearly frustrated more as the game went on.

This is just the kind of edge the Lions have needed head-to-head against Rodgers for years, and it was great to see Jacobs providing it for the team.


Jacobs Plays Huge Role for Lions in Win

Rodgers didn’t exactly listen to Jacobs. The quarterback actually kept trying Jacobs in the game, but didn’t make much progress at all when doing so.

During the game, Jacobs would finish with four targets and no completions allowed to the Packers. He showed off his budding skills with a beautiful play along the sidelines against Allen Lazard which didn’t go as a completion:

As a result of this, Jacobs was also rated as a top PFF player for Week 9. The cornerback has worked hard to get back on the field after an injury last season, and now that he saw an uptick in snaps and played well, that should be the start of his ability to play a major role for the team.

In the end, Jacobs may have even backed up his trash talking of Rodgers by stepping up and playing strong.


Jacobs Reacts to Major Return Debut for Lions

After the game, it would be easy to see Jacobs being hyped up about what he was able to do. Instead, he simply chose to focus on how thankful he was to be able to be back on the field and playing the game he loves.

As Jacobs tweeted, he felt blessed to be able to be back on the field with his teammates, and was extra thankful for the experience of being able to grind out another team win.

“Great Team Win Today. I can’t say how blessed I am but I first want to say thank god for allowing me to be back out there with my brothers!!!,” Jacobs tweeted.

Given how far Jacobs has come this offseason and through half of the season, it feels obvious to say that he has a lot to be grateful for. Clearly, he realizes it at this point of his career.

Jacobs is playing with confidence and swagger, and is clearly a player who figures to play a big role for the Lions moving forward into the future in their defensive backfield.