Detroit Lions have yet to find an answer for Aaron Rodgers

The Detroit Lions are seeking their first NFC North title since 1993, but in order to do so, they will have to find a way to defeat Aaron Rodgers.

The Detroit Lions have an Aaron Rodgers problem. Actually, that statement doesn’t seem strong enough. After all, every NFL team not named the Green Bay Packers has an Aaron Rodgers problem, so perhaps more specificity is in order. Let’s try this one again.

Detroit has to play Aaron Rodgers twice a year for however long he remains a Green Bay Packer and to this point, they haven’t found any consistent method of stopping him or even remotely slowing him down.

Phew, that one’s a mouthful, but it’s no lie. When thinking of true football dominance, your mind tends wander to the 2007 New England Patriots offense or the 1985 Chicago Bears defense. Perhaps it should consider wandering to the performance of Rodgers against the Lions.

In 16 career starts against the Lions, Rodgers is 13-3, with a 7-1 record against Detroit at home where he is nearly unbeatable, and a stellar 6-2 when he travels to Ford Field. It should be noted that in one of those losses, a Week 14 match-p in 2010, he was forced out of the game at halftime with a concussion.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford also missed that game with a AC joint separation to his throwing shoulder, and as such, Drew Stanton was called into action as the starter. Detroit ultimately picked up a 7-3 victory, but had Rodgers not sustained the injury, the Packers likely would have been able to defeat the Stanton-led Lions, thus improving the former Super Bowl Champion’s tally to 14-2.

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Nevertheless, in his 15.5 games against the Lions, Rodgers has enjoyed what basically amounts to an MVP-caliber season, with 4,058 passing yards, 34 touchdown passes, and six interceptions, good for a sparkling 109.4 quarterback rating. The former Cal quarterback has also accumulated 238 yards and three additional scores with his legs.

More (not so) fun facts for Lions fans to consider? The two-time NFL MVP has thrown three or more touchdowns in six of these contests, and has been held to fewer than two touchdown passes a mere four times. Additionally, the six-time Pro Bowler has thrown for 300 or more yards against the Detroit on seven different occasions.

Even more impressive is the fact that Rodgers has accomplished all of this on only 496 passing attempts. To put that in perspective, 20 quarterbacks threw more passes than that in 2016. It’s clear that his success against the Lions hasn’t been a product of volume, but rather sensational efficiency.

Of course, the Lions have a franchise quarterback of their own in the aforementioned Stafford, who they just made the highest-paid player in the league. But in spite of all his talent and his new contract, he has never been a match for Rodgers in head-to-head showdowns as the Green Bay signal caller boasts a 9-2 record against his divisional rival.

But Rodgers’ impressive accomplishment in all of this? That’s an easy one. Remember that 109.4 passer rating he holds against the Lions? That’s 5.1 points higher than his career passer rating of 104.1, which just happens to be the highest career mark in NFL history.

There’s no way around it. To this point in his career, Rodgers has owned the Lions.

DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER 21: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers rolls out to pass during the fourth quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 21, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images). The Lions defeated the Packers 19-7. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Perhaps it’s for this reason that the Packers have won five of the last six NFC North titles. Detroit has come close in recent years, but Green Bay always seems to rally and ultimately claim the division. In Week 17 of last season, the two teams met to determine the 2016 NFC North Championship, and Rodgers proceeded to do what he has always done against his rivals: pretty much whatever he wanted.

After yet another 300-yard, four touchdown passing day, the Packers were victorious and added yet another divisional title to an already enormous collection. Not every example is as dramatic as this one, but this has certainly become a familiar story for fans in the Motor City. It’s been happening for years now.

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So what does all of that mean for the upcoming season? Clearly, the Lions can’t afford to start the season with two presumptive losses on the docket. Not with such a daunting schedule in front of them. If the Lions realistically want to have any chance at a second consecutive postseason berth, they will have to split the season series with the Packers, at a minimum.

It sounds simple enough, but it hardly ever happens. Not against Rodgers.

The Lions run a slower-paced, ball control-oriented offense, and aren’t going to be able to keep up with Rodgers in a shootout. Thus, defeating the Pack involves finding a method to slow him down. While stopping him altogether is a virtual impossibility, finding some way to limit his impact is vital. The most successful the Lions have ever been at accomplishing this was in Week 2 of 2014, when the defense held Rodgers to 162 passing yards and a single touchdown en route to a 19-7 Detroit victory.

Of course, this happened in a season where impact players like Ndamukong Suh and DeAndre Levy were the architects of the NFL’s second-ranked defense. With those men out of the mix in recent seasons (Suh in Miami and Levy oft-injured), the unit has finished decidedly more towards the middle of the pack (no pun intended).

Things could get even worse for the Lions stop unit this time around. There are serious questions about the pass rush, as Kerry Hyder is out for the year with a torn Achilles and Ezekiel Ansah remains on the PUP list as the season approaches. It will be next to impossible to keep Rodgers in check if he is afforded substantial time to throw.

So what can the Lions do to get Rodgers off his game? The same things all his other opponents do. Try to bring pressure. Keep him in the pocket as much as possible to prevent him from making the big plays with his legs that have become his signature. Win one-on-one battles in coverage against his favorite wide receivers to get him out of rhythm. Try to keep him off the field with long drives that chew up the game clock.

And very rarely does any of this actually work.

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Aaron Rodgers is one of the most uniquely talented quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. With an elite combination of arm strength, accuracy, intelligence, and mobility, there aren’t many ways to effectively oppose his immense abilities. A future Hall of Famer at the game’s most important position, Rodgers is a legitimate difference-maker any time he’s in the lineup. The media knows it, the fans know it, and the Detroit Lions know it too.

It’s a tough task at hand, but the Lions must find a way to combat Rodgers’ dominance. Unless and until they do, future NFC North Championship banners will likely continue to find a comfortable place of residence in the rafters of 1265 Lombardi Avenue.