Brady, Rodgers finally meet

The white-hot Patriots and red-hot Packers meet at 4:25 p.m. Sunday in Green Bay on the last day of November in a game billed as a possible preview of Super Bowl XLIX, which will be played on the first day of February in Arizona.

But there's much that could transpire between now and then. As evidence, one need only look at what these two teams endured early on.

The Patriots started 2-2, which locally caused mass panic among the Fickle Foxboro Faithful and had Tom Brady subjected to such absurd queries by the national media as, 'Do you feel like you're past your prime?'

The Patriots have won seven straight games since, their 9-2 record tied for tops in the NFL.

'I think you just have to have confidence in what you're doing,' Brady said. 'What we went through, we went through, and hopefully we've moved past that and we're at a different point now. Like I said, you never want to ride the ups and downs of the season.'

Meanwhile, the Packers recovered from a 1-2 start that had the unfailingly supportive Cheeseheads so concerned quarterback Aaron Rodgers felt it necessary to tell the franchise's fretful fans to 'r-e-l-a-x.' They've since won seven of eight to climb to 8-3, setting up a highly anticipated mega matchup at Lambeau Field.

However, the Packers were neither promoting nor downplaying the Patriots' visit to Eastern Wisconsin.

'We don't get up and down more for any other matchup,' Rodgers said. 'This is an uncommon opponent, this AFC team. This time of year, you want to win all your games, especially the ones at home when you're in a position to control your own fate here. We can keep on a roll and hopefully get a home playoff game. That's what we're thinking about.'

This is the first meeting between Brady and Rodgers, who have a few things in common.

In addition to being leading NFL MVP candidates - an award Brady won in 2007 and '10 and Rodgers in '11 - both players are from the San Francisco area, wear No. 12 and carry with them draft-day disappointments.

Brady famously lasted until the sixth round, where the Patriots made him the 199th overall pick in 2000. Rodgers was projected to go first overall - to his hometown 49ers, no less - before the Packers took him as a value pick at No. 24 in 2005.

'I definitely looked up to his story,' said Rodgers, who is 30 and seven years younger than Brady. 'I think he was picked late, like 199, I believe. It gives the guys who kind of got passed over some confidence that they can get it done.'

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Rodgers has the ability to make plays with both his strong, accurate right arm and his quick feet. While the NFL is populated with dual-threat quarterbacks these days, Rodgers is the gold standard.

'I think Aaron's a great quarterback,' coach Bill Belichick said. 'He does everything well: is very smart, does a great job with his team in situations and seeing things at the line of scrimmage, putting them in good plays and a very accurate passer. (He's) very good with his feet, hard to sack, hard guy to bring down, has real good awareness. I think pretty much everything with his game is excellent to outstanding.'

The aspect of Rodgers' game that stands out the most is his proficiency for throwing touchdowns rather than interceptions.

Rodgers ranks second in the league in touchdown passes (30) and is tied for first in fewest interceptions (3). His career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3.96 (218 TDs to 55 interceptions in 105) games is a league record, as his career passer rating of 106.4.

Avoiding giveaways is something this 10th-year pro, who has won a Super Bowl and been selected to three Pro Bowls since becoming a starter in 2008, takes a lot of pride in.

'It's trying to give your team an opportunity to stay in the game,' Rodgers said. 'Even if you're not playing your best game, if you're not turning it over, your team is probably going to be in the mix. (If) you're being efficient and accurate and not turning the ball over, you're probably going to win a lot of games.'

Rodgers, who has a career record of 71-36, has been remarkably efficient at home since the middle of last season. He has thrown 322 passes and 29 touchdowns in a row at home without an interception. Both streaks are the longest in league history and span nine games, all victories.

As for the running aspect of his game, Rodgers ranks third on the Packers with 178 yards and has one of the team's nine rushing touchdowns. His average of 6.4 yards a carry is excellent, especially when you consider it's brought down by game-ending kneel-downs.

'I always love watching him play because he does things that a lot of guys in the league can't do, well that nobody can really do except him,' Brady said. 'For a quarterback, I really know how hard it is to do that, especially on a consistent basis, and he's been as consistent as anybody who has ever played the position, so I've got a lot of respect for him.'

Brady is also known for playing at a high and reliable level, as demonstrated by his tossing 22 touchdowns against four interceptions during the Patriots' seven-game winning streak. Combine that with a better pass defense and this possible Super Bowl preview goes to the New Englanders.

Rich Garven's prediction:

Patriots 31, Packers 27.

Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com.

Lokasi:

Share :