Lions' Elliott: Packers, Rodgers 'don't respect us'
Detroit Lions safety DeShon Elliott can't wait to face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Sunday's highly anticipated NFC North clash.
"They don't respect us. A-Rod doesn't respect us, that team doesn't respect us," Elliott said Friday, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic.
"We're used to being the underdog. No matter what the record says, we're going out there, and we're gonna fight our ass off, play smashmouth football, just because of the respect factor. We all got here someway, somehow.
"Yeah, (Rodgers is) a Hall of Famer, but I just don't like the way he's been talking about my guys all year, the way that team views us. We wanna go out there and prove something."
Elliott didn't specify which comments he took an issue with, but after Detroit defeated Green Bay 15-9 in November, Rodgers said, "Can't lose a game like that against that team." The four-time NFL MVP threw three interceptions in that game.
"That's gonna hurt for a while," Rodgers, who's praised the Lions' turnaround this season, also said at the time.
Sunday night's matchup has a lot at stake for the Packers and Lions, who are both 8-8 and fighting for the No. 7 seed in the NFC. Green Bay will clinch a playoff berth with a victory, while Detroit can punch its postseason ticket with a victory and a Seattle Seahawks loss in Week 18. The Seahawks - who need a win and a Packers loss to reach the playoffs - host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Rodgers has completed 64.7% of his passes and tossed 25 touchdowns to 11 interceptions through 16 games this season, down from a 68.9% completion rate, 37 TD passes, and four picks in 2021.
Elliott, in his first year in Detroit, ranks second on the team with 91 tackles to go along with three pass breakups and an interception. The 25-year-old has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Friday that he's "pretty confident" Elliott will face the Packers, according to Jeff Risdon of The Lions Wire.