There was a time when a Packers–Lions game felt like three games packed into one. The usual—Packers vs. Lions. Then Aaron Rodgers trying to outsmart Detroit’s defense. But the real show? Rodgers vs. Ndamukong Suh. Every snap felt like a standoff. But, it wasn’t like the DT was just chasing sacks. He was sending messages, too. Remember the 2014 clash? Yes, the Week-17 one. Rodgers was already nursing a calf injury with the NFC North title on the line, and Suh decided to make matters worse by stepping on it. Twice. While the NFL dropped a suspension on the player, an appeal and a claim that his feet were numb from the cold, helped Suh get off the hook pretty easily. While the Detroit chapter ended for Suh, he took his apparent rivalry with Rodgers to Tampa as well.

The October 2020 meeting for the old rivals in Tampa Bay? Pure chaos. And that did not stop with just verbal exchanges. Suh was back at it. In the second quarter, the defensive player got flagged for shoving the QB without the ball, thanks to the latter calling for intentional grounding on the play. But it wasn’t over. Just two plays down came a drive-killing sack for Suh over Rodgers. The game didn’t end, neither did the back-and-forth between the two. While the Bucs extended their lead to 31-10 by the third quarter, Ndamukong’s damage was visible. Aaron let him hear a little more before wrapping up the field trip in the 38-10 defeat. But the on-court tension? “That goes back a long time, and I’m sure the cameras caught some stuff,” as Rodgers mentioned five years ago from today.

We have not seen the QB fear many in his career so far. But when it comes to Suh, “You had to watch out.” Because the impact of the DT from almost a decade ago is still experienced by Rodgers every day who is still limping. The rivalry wasn’t just physical. It was psychological warfare, and the QB knew that pretty well—which is perhaps why every time we mention the word “fear,” Ndamukong Suh’s name pops up. And that hasn’t changed, only put in more concrete words.

But let’s be clear. Rodgers doesn’t like that word. Instead, the veteran has a pretty unique way of describing Suh’s effect on him. Less than a week ago, the 41-year-old turned up for a fan meet in Austin when an interesting question was hurled his way by a fan: “Who was your favorite person to play against and the most feared?” 

Answering the first part of the question, the quarterback was quick to respond, “play against probably Charles Woodson.” And then came who he feared the most. And Rodgers replied, “Most feared player. I wouldn’t say ‘feared’ because it’s hard to admit you’re scared of somebody,” before adding, “However, anytime we played the Lions when Ndamukong Suh was on the field… You had to watch out. You had to watch out. One of the dirtiest players in the history of [NFL].” But it’s not just his dirty plays that people remember him by.

His availability was insane. Suh did not miss any of the 191 games in his first 12 seasons. He amassed 600 tackles and 71.5 sacks in his entire career and earned 5 Pro Bowl honors. As for the QB’s favorite player, Charles, well, seems like he had much more to say.

There’s only respect and praise from Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers and Charles Woodson’s relationship was one of a kind. The duo played with each other for seven seasons in Green Bay and later found themselves against each other during the final seasons of Woodson’s career. But did that change Rodgers’ opinion on the NFL legend? Absolutely not. He once said, “[Woodson] made me a lot better player.” 

Fast forward to now, and even though the former Packers’ cornerback has hung up his cleats, there’s only respect. While answering the same question during the fan meet, the veteran signal-caller mentioned how he loves to “play against probably Charles Woodson. Just practice against him. He’s the best player I’ve ever played against.” 

“Hall of Famer, but he transformed the game… I think he was a little better playmaker. A guy who could blitz off the edge, who could cover outside, who could cover in the slot, who could force fumbles. And he was a menace in practice ’cause he’d just be out there lulling you to sleep and then we’d be throwing a couple picks to him all the time. But a man of his craft, tireless worker. So, he’s the best player I’ve played against.” Well, it’s not hard to see why Rodgers feels like that.

“I got to work on my look-offs and my no-look passes against Charles, because if you weren’t aware of where he was at on every single rep, he would make you look bad,” he once recalled. The highlight of his gameplay? Picture this: The guy’s out there making it look like he isn’t paying any attention. But it’s a trap.

Just when you, as a quarterback, feel comfortable and throw the ball, he’ll jump right back in to intercept it. So, no doubt Rodgers spent a major chunk of time in practice with him. But let’s be real—when Charles Woodson was lined up against Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback knew exactly what kind of chaos was coming. And for Suh, we’ll repeat what Rodgers said, “That goes back a long time.”