Former NFC North Division foes Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford and New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers will face off for the 18th time in their careers this Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The two quarterbacks have been around for a long time, with Stafford and the Detroit Lions facing Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers twice a year for 12 seasons. Rodgers and his current team have struggled in 2024, but historically the Jets QB has Stafford’s numbers at 13-4 in his previous matchups.

Stafford spoke directly about Rodgers and the excitement of playing meaningful football in late December:

“I’m just excited to go there and play,” Stafford said. “Obviously it’s a great thing to take part in some meaningful football in December. We deserve this and we have to continue to earn the chance to play important games. This happens to be next on the list. I have a lot of respect for Aaron and have competed against him a few times in my career. He’s a great player and does a great job. He still does a really good job for her. He has played fantastically in the last few weeks. He seems healthy, moving and doing his thing.”

Stafford was also asked if there was a moment or game over the last decade that stood out the most in their long rivalry, but he couldn’t remember exactly.

“I’ve had too many to even think about it, to be honest,” Stafford said. “It’s always a good fight. (I have) great respect for him. (He’s a) great player in this league, an all-time great, has incredible talent and has accomplished a lot. It’s always a challenge competing against him.”

All of this came after Rodgers was interviewed this week The Pat McAfee Show about his upcoming game against Los Angeles and Stafford:

“Matt is one of my favorite competitors of all time,” Rodgers said. “He’s had a lot of fun fights over the years, a lot of respect for him and he plays the game in a way that I absolutely respect. “He’s as tough as they come. He’s smart, he’s smart, he’s brave, he’s competitive. I’ve always been a big Matt Stafford fan and I’m really excited to see him.”

Rams head coach Sean McVay also weighed in on the two future Hall of Famers, saying simply:

“They’re two great players, two guys who have done it at a really high level.”

Both players are currently in the top 10 on several NFL all-time lists, including touchdown passes (Rodgers is fifth with 498, Stafford is tenth with 376), completions (Rodgers is seventh with 5,306, Stafford is ninth with 5,143) and passing yards (Rodgers eighth). with 62,310, Stafford 10th with 59,510).

This will be the first time in over three years that the two quarterbacks will face off against each other. In their last meeting, Rodgers and the Packers defeated the Rams 36-28. Stafford was with Los Angeles during the aforementioned 2021 game, but this Sunday will be the only game between the two that Rodgers was not in Green Bay.

This could potentially be the last game between these two veterans against each other, as both players have been rumored to be retiring in recent seasons. “We thought, ‘Shoot, this could be it,'” Rodgers said when discussing the possibility of both quarterbacks going head-to-head. “That’s why it’s good to have another chance to compete against him.”