Matt LaFleur has already tried to downplay the matchup. Aaron Rodgers will, too. Don't listen to a word of it.
It's the Green Bay Packers. It's Aaron Rodgers. It's a historic matchup between two iconic franchises under the Sunday Night Football lights. This is a huge game, and more than the players and coaches will admit. But don't just take my word for it — Packers legend David Bakhtiari understands the enormity of this contest.
"I can't wait to hear all the soundbites of 'it's just another game' from both sides all week," Bakhtiari told former teammate John Kuhn on The Tundra podcast.
"Let's just cut the b------t. This is a really big game. Of course Aaron wants that he's beaten every single team. Of course he wants to stick it back to the Packers, because somehow, some way, he feels like it's probably wronged him in any sort of fashion because that's just how he's wired."
David Bakhtiari believes Aaron Rodgers wants to 'stick it back to the Packers'
If you've followed Rodgers' career, you'll know Bakhtiari is 100 percent right. Rodgers might not admit it, and he'll say this game is no more important than any other, but let's be honest: He wants to win this one badly.
Take Week 1 as an example. Rodgers threw four touchdown passes against the New York Jets and then said postgame that he was "happy to beat everyone associated" with his former team.
There's likely far less animosity between Rodgers and the Packers — over two years have passed since the trade, and he won four MVPs and a Super Bowl in Green Bay — but it'd be naive to assume he wouldn't love to prove a point to Brian Gutekunst.
And it works the other way, too.
"I'm sure the Packers, everyone up on that third floor, coaches, I'm sure even guys that played with Aaron, would love to beat Aaron too," Bakhtiari said.
Rodgers is coming off another four-touchdown performance on Thursday Night Football, and he nearly won the game on a vintage Hail Mary pass that traveled 69.8 yards through the air.
He'll face a tough test against Micah Parsons' pass-rush crew, but Rodgers is getting the ball out of his hands fast. We'll likely see lots of screens and quick passes that will test the Packers' ability to swarm to the ball and tackle.
Rodgers has made a legendary career of carving open even the best defenses. Now, for the first time, the Packers are the team trying to stop him.
Bakhtiari gets it. He built an All-Pro resume of his own while protecting Rodgers. But who is he rooting for: his only NFL team, or his former quarterback and close friend?
"I want the Packers to win, but I want Aaron to play really well," Bakhtiari said.
The second part is almost a guarantee. Rodgers will be as locked in as ever and with a point to prove. It's now up to the Packers' defense to provide the answers, or for Jordan Love to outduel his mentor.