Getty Brett Favre, former Green Bay Packers quarterback, speaks during the retirement ceremony for his #4 jersey at Lambeau Field on November 26, 2015 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Aaron Rodgers reached the next rung of greatness in his Green Bay Packers career in Week 15 when he threw his third touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens and tied Brett Favre’s franchise record of 442 passing touchdowns.
Favre, though, is eager to see Rodgers “keep it going.”
Favre tweeted a late-night shoutout at Rodgers following his three-touchdown performance in the Packers’ 31-30 victory over the Ravens on Sunday, celebrating his successor’s milestone of matching him for most touchdown passes in franchise history. He also encouraged the 38-year-old quarterback to continue raising the ceiling with three more regular-season games and a playoff run forthcoming.
Rodgers tied Favre’s record when he connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for an 11-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, good for his third touchdown of the game. He will take sole possession of the record with his next touchdown pass, which could happen on Christmas Day when the Packers host the Cleveland Browns.
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Rodgers Recalls Pursuit of Favre’s TD Record
While there were no guarantees that Rodgers would tie or break Favre’s record against the Ravens, the Packers starting quarterback took the opportunity in the days leading up to the game to appreciate the fast-approaching milestone and to reflect upon a time where he thought catching up to Favre’s record was farfetched.
“I remember looking at the number of touchdowns that Favrey had and thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I’m not even at 100 yet,'” Rodgers told reporters over Zoom on December 15. “‘How could I ever play long enough to be in this same category as that?’ But, obviously, I’ve been able to stay pretty healthy and have some sustained success. That’s a special one just because of the history of the franchise and how long our franchise has been around and how many great players have come through here. The opportunity to be here 17 years and the longevity records, as Favrey I remember used to talk about when he was here, to be a part of some of those is pretty cool.”
Favre still holds several other franchise records that Rodgers won’t break unless he stays beyond the 2021 season. Rodgers still needs to throw for another 6,923 yards in order to tie Favre’s franchise-best mark of 61,665 career passing yards. Rodgers is also still trailing in career pass attempts (by 1,726) and career completions (by 793).
Rodgers Closes Gap in 2021 MVP Race
Rodgers didn’t just help the Packers clinch the NFC North title for a third straight season on Sunday. He also made up some ground in terms of potentially winning his fourth career NFL MVP, turning in another strong performance that closed the gap between him and Tom Brady and distanced him from the remaining field of contenders.
According to the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, Brady remains at the front, but his odds to win have narrowed — down from -150 to +110 — after throwing one interception and no touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s 9-0 loss to New Orleans in Week 15. Meanwhile, Rodgers has improved from +550 last week to +170 following the win in Baltimore, having thrown for 1,301 yards, 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions over his last four performances for the Packers.
The next-closest MVP contenders, by the odds, are Patrick Mahomes (+800) and Matthew Stafford (+950), who both saw their chances improve in Week 15. Jonathan Taylor, the lone non-running back near the front of the pack, also improved his odds (+1400) after rushing for 170 yards and a touchdown against New England on Saturday.
Updated MVP Odds at @FDSportsbook:
Tom Brady: +110 (was -150) 🔻
Aaron Rodgers: +170 (was +550)
Patrick Mahomes: +800 (was +1000) ⬆️
Matthew Stafford: +950 (was +1500) ⬆️
Jonathan Taylor: +1400 (was +2000) ⬆️
Kyler Murray: +4000 (was +1500) 🔻
Who do you like? 💰