It's all getting a bit ugly at the Green Bay Packers after they suffered perhaps their most humiliating defeat yet against the Detroit Lions, and Aaron Rodgers has labelled them as 'underdogs' for the remainder of the season.
The Packers lost 15-9 to the Lions on Sunday in one of the upsets of the season, with Rodgers throwing three interceptions against the worst ranked defence in the NFL. The Packers are now 3-6 for the season, and are on a run of five-straight defeats, with tough matches coming up.
Offensively the Packers have been disjointed for some time, and they're still suffering from the departure of Davante Adams in the summer. And now Rodgers has officially conceded that they will be 'underdogs' heading into all games for the rest of the season, which questions his faith in the offensive options available.
Rodgers has been short of reliable options this season, although Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb serving as his trusted seniors in big moments. Romeo Doubs has also shown potential, but as a rookie it's always going to take time to click.
Injuries haven't helped the Packers, and with Doubs, Aaron Jones leaving the field during their defeat to the Lions, they were shorter than ever on Sunday. Lazard caught for 87 yards and scored the Packers only touchdown of the afternoon, but elsewhere, there was nothing.
Rodgers has been a frustrated figure this season, and that showed as he launched his helmet on the sidelines on Sunday. And now the veteran quarterback has conceded that they will be underdogs for the remainder of the season, as he's acknowledged that they're not good enough.
"I've been counted out many times in my life, as have many of my team-mates,” he told reporters. "I hope we just dig deep and find a way.
"We will truly be underdogs for many games moving forward, hopefully we can embrace that." Many Packers fans are conceding that their season is all but over, with tough clashes against the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys falling in their next three matches.
The Packers started off strong, posing a 3-1 record after edging the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots, while they thrashed the Chicago Bears. But although a defeat against the Buffalo Bills was expected, they've also lost to the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New York Jets and now the Lions in an awful run, and they were favourites to win all four.
But, as we have seen from the Packers themselves, anything can happen this season, and Rodgers is optimistic that they can use their underdog status to turn things around. “We have two games at home, we've got to go win those two games and then this thing looks a little different," Rodgers added.
Rodgers also slammed claims that he made a mistake re-signing with the Packers, and has committed to riding things out with the organisation. "When I decided to come back it was all in and I don't make decisions and in hindsight have regrets about a decision like that," Rodgers stated.
"I was all in and this is a lot of life lessons for sure this year. But luckily it's not over, there's still a lot of games left, we'll be counted out probably by man and we'll see how he respond."
