The Chicago Bears will look to stay atop the NFC North when they battle the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. But to keep the momentum rolling, the Bears have to defeat an old nemesis in quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers’s status for Sunday’s game is up in the air after he suffered a fractured wrist during last week’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. But if he plays, his history will be a major storyline as he goes up against the team he claims he “owns” from his time with the Green Bay Packers.
With that in mind, Rodgers was asked if there was any extra motivation going up against the Bears once again and the 40-year-old gave a response that may give Chicago some bulletin board material before Sunday’s game.
“There’s incentive for every opponent, but I have enjoyed many a Sunday, a Monday, and Thursdays in that city,” Rodgers said via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “And there’s been some great memories there. When I first got to Green Bay, the Bears had the all-time series lead. When I left, the Packers did.”
Aaron Rodgers Adds More Motivation for Bears to Win in Week 12
The Bears can throw Rodgers’ comments onto the pile as they look to push for their first playoff appearance since 2020 and their first NFC North title since 2018. While they are 7-3 and currently in first place, many have believed that they are a team rooted in luck and not a serious contender as they enter the final seven games of the season.
While some of the current Bears may not have been around for most of Rodgers’s dominance over the franchise, exorcising that demon could go a long way toward making their fans believe.
After all, Rodgers' dominance over Chicago can be perfectly explained by how these stats against the Bears rank in his career:
- Wins: 24 (1st)
- Completions: 611 (1st)
- Passing yards: 6,965 (1st)
- Passing touchdowns: 64 (1st)
- Passer rating: 109.0 (6th)
The ex-Packers QB also has embraced the role of a villain in the past, once screaming. “All my f****ing life, I still own you,” after a touchdown during a game in 2021.
Even at 40 years old, Bears fans would be forgiven if they cringed seeing Rodgers’ Steelers on the schedule. But Rodgers still tried to downplay his role as the villain this time around, calling Chicago “a great sports town” with “phenomenal sports fans” and “a great place to play.”
“I’d rather not be (the villain),” Rodgers said about his history with the Bears. “I mean, I’m not in Green Bay anymore. I feel like we can let bygones be bygones. Maybe I can. (I) don’t expect them to. But I really enjoy the city.”
While Rodgers attempted to run some damage control ahead of Sunday’s matchup, there may not be an amount of ayahuasca that could make Bears fans forget the past. For the players on the field, seeing a future Hall of Famer on the opposite sideline may be enough to motivate them, but the old Chicago rival's comments may be something else that pushes them past the Steelers on Sunday.