Aaron Rodgers‘ tackle of Brian Urlacher in the 2010 NFC Championship Game remains his enduring moment against the Packers‘ archrival. But Sunday’s “I own you!” declaration at Bears fans is a pretty close second. Rodgers made the comments after scoring the game-clinching touchdown run in Green Bay’s 24-14 win in Chicago last Sunday.
Rodgers’ declaration immediately went viral. And while it has been a hot topic in the days following the game, Rodgers has no regrets about the moment. Rodgers said the emotion was also the byproduct of silencing some of his critics who have questioned his mobility.
“I was definitely spur of the moment,” Rodgers said of his comments to Bears fans during his weekly appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’ “I am proud of my runs. There’s been some local media folks in Green Bay who have talked ad nauseam about my decreasing ability to kind of get out of the pocket and make things happen. So to have an explosive run on my first possession … and to be able to get the old pump fake working in the end zone, was pretty special.”
Rodgers detailed what was going on in his head right before he made the comments that have already been added to the rich history of the Packers-Bears rivalry.
“When I got down to my knee and looked up, all I could see and hear was obscenities,” Rodgers said. “I don’t know, it was just spur of the moment, hit my mind. … I didn’t plan on telling the crowd that I owned them. I think based on the statistical reference of my career win percentage down there and against them, we’ve definitely done good things.”
Rodgers is right. Sunday’s win over Chicago gave Green Bay a 102-95-6 all-time series lead. Since Brett Favre’s first season in Green Bay in 1992, the Packers are 45-15 against the Bears, with Rodgers holding a 22-5 record against the Bears. The biggest of those wins was Green Bay’s 21-14 win over Chicago in the 2010 NFC Championship Game. The Packers won the game in Soldier Field before defeating the Steelers to win the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl title.
“I know that I used ‘I’ a few times, but I do feel like it’s a we thing,” Rodgers said of the Packers’ recent dominance over the Bears. “Since Favre took over, we’ve flipped that entire series on its head. I think when Favre took over, we were double digits [behind Chicago] in the all-time series … and now we’re seven up. Feels good to be on this side of it. It was a special moment looking back. I didn’t realize how crazy it would go. … I loved the response of my teammates backing me up.”
The moment has been celebrated by both Packers players and fans and loathed by seemingly everyone in Chicago. And while his actions only hardened his already icy relationship with Bears fans, Rodgers would probably do it again if he gets the chance.
“It was fun,” Rodgers said. “I don’t regret it at all.”
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