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The Lions and Packers will meet in primetime in Week 18 in a contest that could potentially have playoff implications for both teams. And as the NFC North rivals close in on the high-stakes matchup, Detroit safety DeShon Elliott made it clear on Friday that the team is also hoping to accomplish another goal at Lambeau Field come Sunday.
Elliott, who’s set to return after missing the past two games with a dislocated shoulder, explained to reporters that he and his teammates have drawn extra motivation for the game after feeling disrespected by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers all season. Rodgers notably dismissed the Lions after a Week 9 loss at Ford Field, where the veteran quarterback tossed three interceptions, including two in the red zone.
In Elliott’s estimation, Sunday will be just as much about making Rodgers and Co. respect the Lions as it will be about them possibly claiming their first playoff appearance since 2016.
“I feel like they don’t respect us,” Elliott said, via the Detroit Free Press. “A-Rod doesn’t respect us, that team doesn’t respect us. We’re used to being the underdog. No matter what the record says, we’re going to go out there and we’re going to fight our ass off, play smashmouth football just ’cause the respect factor. We all got here some way, somehow.
“Yeah, he’s a Hall of Famer, but I just don’t like the way he’s been talking about my guys all year and the way that team views us, so we’re going to go out there and prove something.”
As a perennial underdog, Detroit enters Sunday’s matchup looking to pull off something few could’ve imagined at the start of the season. A win over the Packers, combined with a Seahawks loss to the Rams, would propel the Lions to the postseason, but a loss would clinch a wild-card spot for Green Bay regardless of the Seattle game.
Having already beaten the Packers once this season, the Lions appear to have the inside track to sweeping the season series for the first time since ’18 despite being on the road. However, Rodgers’ past comments downplaying their first meeting in November may suggest Green Bay might still be overlooking their longtime rival nearly three months later.
“I think there’s a lot to it,” Rodgers told reporters when asked about the loss, per Yahoo Sports. “But it really just comes down to execution. The play comes in, we’ve got to execute it. There’s a lot of things that go into that. We had a couple of chances for sure. We can’t lose a game like that against that team, no. So that’s going to hurt for a while.”
At the time, the Lions were 2–6, the worst record in the NFL, while the Packers weren’t far behind at 3-6 after dropping their fifth straight game. Since then, both clubs have gone on a tear, with Detroit (8-8) winning seven of nine games and Green Bay (8-8) winning five of seven games.
Will the Lions pull off a huge win and send Rodgers home for possibly the last time? It remains to be seen but, for now, the opportunity to do so will continue to weigh heavily on Elliott and the Lions until they take the field.
“I just feel like as a competitor bro, you respect everybody in this league and for you to see something or hear somebody say some wild stuff about you or your teammates, your brothers, shoot, what you going to do?” Elliott said. “You going to lay down or you going to stand up? So we’re going to go out there and we’re going to stand up.”
