Aaron Rodgers has made a career of destroying the Detroit Lions. He just handed them one more crushing defeat for the road, and it has a massive impact on the Green Bay Packers' playoff hopes.
The Packers' loss to the Chicago Bears opened the door for the Lions to close the gap, but Rodgers led his Pittsburgh Steelers to an upset win at Ford Field. It's significant. According to The Athletic's playoff simulator, Green Bay now has a 94 percent chance of reaching the postseason. Had the Lions won, it would've dropped the Packers' chances to just 70 percent.
Here's the key: Green Bay is one win away from clinching a playoff berth. Beat the Baltimore Ravens or Minnesota Vikings, and they're in.
Not only did Rodgers give the Packers the help they desperately needed, but he also crushed the Lions in a game he waited three years for.
Aaron Rodgers gets revenge on Lions for ending his Packers career
It took 1,078 days, but Rodgers finally got the last laugh on the Lions.
Rewind to Week 18 of the 2022 season. The Packers needed a victory to advance to the playoffs, but the Lions came to Lambeau Field and picked up an upset win. It didn't just ruin Green Bay's season, but it also ended Rodgers' Packers career. He famously walked off with Randall Cobb, and the next time we saw them, they were playing for the New York Jets.
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Now, three years on, Rodgers walked into Ford Field and just about ended the Lions' postseason dreams.
Per The Athletic's simulator, a Lions win would've taken their playoff chances to 35 percent, but thanks to Rodgers and Co., they crash to just 6 percent.
It's a massive moment for the Packers and makes their path to the playoffs clear. They just need one more win to clinch their spot.
Aaron Rodgers. Forever a Packer.