Aaron Rodgers has played in the NFL for 10 years now. Over that time, Rodgers has beaten every NFL team (other than the Green Bay Packers) with the exception of one. That team was the Cincinnati Bengals, and Rodgers overcame that final obstacle this week. Rodgers was able to lead his Green Bay Packers from a 21-7 halftime deficit to an overtime victory – the first of Rodgers’ NFL career. Here is a look at why Rodgers believes he was never able to beat the Bengals before and how he was able to overcome them and win in dramatic fashion in Week 3 of the 2017 NFL season.
Why couldn’t Rodgers beat Bengals before?
Aaron Rodgers spoke to ESPN this past week about the fact that the Cincinnati Bengals was the only team that he has never beaten. When asked why he thought the Bengals were always so successful against him, Rodgers looked at what the Bengals have accomplished on defense. In the interview, Rodgers said the Bengals was always able to beat the Packers because they were always a “well-coached defense.”
Both times that the Cincinnati Bengals beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, their defensive coordinator was Mike Zimmer, who happens to be the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings now. The losses came in 2009 and 2013. In 2008, Rodgers was sacked six times, and in 2013 he threw two interceptions.
The Packers also lost to the Bengals in 2005, a game that Rodgers sat on the bench as a rookie, backing up Brett Favre. That had to make finally beating the Bengals this week even more special.
Rodgers finally beats Bengals
Interestingly, looking at Aaron Rodgers’ errors in the last two losses to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Green Bay Packers quarterback had problems this year as well.
Rodgers was sacked six times in the 2009 loss, and he was sacked six times in the game this week as well. He threw two interceptions in the 2013 loss and the quarterback that has thrown fewer interceptions compared to touchdowns of almost any quarterback in NFL history threw another in this game as well.
However, what Aaron Rodgers was able to do was keep his composure and prove why he might be the smartest and most capable quarterback in the NFL today.
He led the Green Bay Packers back from a 21-7 halftime deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter and then won it in overtime. Rodgers threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns and even accounted for 23 rushing yards, which was a third of the Packers total rushing yards in the game.
Aaron Rodgers has now beaten every team in the NFL with this win over the Cincinnati Bengals. When asked, Rodgers said that he has even beaten the Green Bay Packers due to mistakes in the past. However, this week, Rodgers proved why he could beat any team on any given Sunday.
