On Monday Night Football, Aaron Rodgers is finally making his comeback with the Jets after spending the 2023 season on the sidelines due to an Achilles injury. And as it turns out, Rodgers’ first opponent is none other than the San Francisco 49ers — a team with whom he has a deep history dating back to his draft day.
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Rodgers, who played with the Green Bay Packers for 18 seasons, currently holds a 6-3 regular-season record against the 49ers, which is quite applaudworthy. But his playoff record against the same team might surprise many.
Rodgers has started four playoff games against the team in his career. Yet, those postseason games all ended in heartbreaks—a continuation of the trend against the West Coast team that could have been his home.
Yes, you read that right. The birth of the rivalry took place 19 years back, when Rodgers, a Northern California native, was passed over by the 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Bay Area team had gone for Alex Smith with their first overall pick. As a result, Rodgers had to be patient until Green Bay ultimately picked him as the 24th selection in the draft.
Looking back at those past games between Rodgers and the team that overlooked him in 2005, the stats are somewhat in favor of the NFL star. In his nine regular season outings against the 49ers, the QB managed to throw a total of 2,597 yards with 20 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.
Rodgers basically balled out in his 2018 matchup, recording 425 passing yards and two touchdowns. Two years later, he took a step further and tallied four touchdowns (his career-best record against the 49ers). But he added just 305 receiving yards that game.
When it comes to playoff games, Rodgers has a different story to tell. While performances such as throwing for 326 yards and two touchdowns in the 2020 NFC Championship game have moved many, he still came up short in the end. And the story of his other three outings was no different.
As Rodgers prepares to face off against his long-time rivals following his surgery, his success in the regular-season games will hands down give him a mental edge. On the contrary, his playoff disappointment can weigh heavily on his mind.
That’s not all. This could be his last season as a starter in the NFL if Rodgers doesn’t show up for the Jets, a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2011. Clearly, the four-time MVP will have a lot on his plate and will need to overcome these challenges for a successful season.
