Green Bay Packers travel to Tampa on Sunday to face Tom Brady 's Buccaneers side, in the standout fixture in week three of the NFL season.
It has been a pulsating start to the NFL season as expected, and it has taken just three weeks for two of the games biggest legends to meet in a mouth-watering clash. However, although there is a combined 40 NFL seasons between them, this will only be the fifth time they have faced one another.
Brady has edged Rodgers so far as the 45-year-old has been victorious on three of the four occasions that he has faced the Packers legend for both Tampa Bay and the New England Patriots when both players have started. But that doesn't mean that all fans are convinced that Brady is the greatest of all-time, and here Mirror Sport take a look at the history between the pair ahead of Sunday's clash.
Their rivalry on the field
As previously stated, the record when starting is 3-1 to Brady at this moment in time, although Rodgers will be keen to close the gap when the two sides meet again on Sunday. Their first meeting came in 2006 when Rodgers was trying to establish himself, while Brady had already helped himself to two Super Bowl rings at that point.
The first meeting was a mauling, as Brady's Patriots side won 35-0 against the Packers, although Rodgers was still a back-up to Brett Favre at this point so it doesn't count as a starting QB. Rodgers only managed to complete four out of 12 passes when coming on, but he saw the power of Brady first hand.
However, things were better on Rodgers' first start against Brady in 2014, as the Packers won 26-21 at Lambeau Field. Rodgers threw for 368 yards and recorded two touchdowns, but despite losing it was in fact Brady that went on to win the Super Bowl that season.
Their next meeting came four years later, and this time Brady took the bragging rights as the Patriots won 31-17 at the Gillette Stadium, and once again they went on to win the Super Bowl that same year. But their most recent meeting's while Brady has been in Tampa have also swung the way of the seven-time Super Bowl winner.
A 38-10 destruction went Brady's way during the regular season back in 2020, but their NFC Championship win over the Packers in 2021 was their most memorable meeting to date. The Bucs edged a 31-26 classic at Lambeau Field, before once again going on to win only their second Super Bowl.
The difference between their success
When it comes to success within the sport, Brady's name is right at the very top as no player has won more Super Bowl's than the Patriots and Buccaneers legend. Brady has won the Championship seven times, and has been named Super Bowl MVP on five occasions
Rodgers has only won the ultimate crown on one occasion, as the Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. And Rodgers also earned the title of Super Bowl MVP for this performance that night.
But despite all of Brady's undeniable success, he has only been named as the NFL's MVP three times, where as Rodgers has managed to scoop up the award on four occasions. Brady delivers on the big stage when it matters, that's clear for all to see, but the argument that has been dividing NFL fans for decades is that Rodgers has always had to work with a weaker side.
Brady has been fortunate to be surrounded by greatness during the majority of his NFL career, and since 2010 Rob Gronkowski has been an option for him as tight end. Rodgers has played with some excellent talent since joining the Packers in 2005, but many feel as though he'd have a much more respectable record with a better side.
Some fans also feel as though Rodgers has a better arm, and perhaps technically has proved to be a better QB despite Brady clutching it on countless occasions. But regardless of opinion, whereas Rodgers may have thrown more when facing Brady, his counterpart has simply won more.
The situation ahead of Sunday
If you thought that Rodgers and Brady were hard to choose between already, Sunday's clash is proving to be a coin flip with the result potentially going either way. The Bucs have started the season in fine form and head into the game with a 2-0 record, while the Packers are 1-1 after losing their season opener for the second year in a row.
Rodgers is having to adapt to a new style now that Devante Adams has moved on, and the Packers have been trialling the effectiveness of starting plays with two running backs. But Brady will also be without trusty receiver Mike Evans, who will be serving a one-game suspension, and Chris Goodwin is also a doubt.
The Bucs injury list is piling up, but they seem to continue to find a winning formula even without some key stars. But the Packers are also sweating on the fitness of Allen Lazard and Sammy Watkins, who have both stepped up in the wake of Adams' departure.
If Brady wins again, surely he will prove that against Rodgers he is the better man, and at the age of 45 it will put daylight between them forever. But if Rodgers can inspire victory then it may spark further debate, and it's likely they could meet again later this season should both sides make the play-offs.
