In case you haven’t heard, two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history are slated to meet Sunday night at Gillette Stadium when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots welcome Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to Foxboro, Mass.
The game is being hyped as the “battle of the GOATs,” with the most-accomplished quarterback going up against the most-naturally-gifted signal-caller.
The Brady-Rodgers comparison is becoming too much for some, with the Green Bay quarterback referring to it as “media fodder,” and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick refusing to compare the two seeing as he’s never had to gameplan to play against Brady.
Count Colin Cowherd among those who are tired of the narrative, as the FOX Sports radio host asked people to “just stop” with the Brady-Rodgers comparison Thursday on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” noting he believes Rodgers is closer to Ben Roethlisberger than the rarified air that Brady occupies.
While Rodgers might not have the championships that Brady does, we can’t get on board with Roethlisberger comparison. In Rodgers’ seven career playoff losses, the Packers’ defense has given up an average of 36.2 points per game, including 51 to the Arizona Cardinals in 2009, 37 to the New York Giants in 2011 and 45 to the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. But the Packers’ offense only has eclipsed 30 points in one of those losses, so Rodgers certainly isn’t without blame.
That being said, Roethlisberger had the vaunted Steelers’ defense to lean on during his first Super Bowl title and was unable to beat Rodgers in their Super Bowl XLV matchup.
Roethlisberger undoubtedly is a Hall of Fame quarterback, but Rodgers is in a completely different class based on pure talent alone. And neither are close to Brady when it comes to accomplishments.
