CNN
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Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are widely regarded as two of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the National Football League.
The careers of the fabled leaders have largely run concurrently, yet side by side. They meet for what may be their final game on Sunday when the Green Bay Packers (1-1) travel south to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0).
The Buccaneers are one of seven teams going into the season undefeated. In the first week, they defeated the Dallas Cowboys, conceding just three points. In week two, they dominated again, beating the New Orleans Saints 20-10.
That’s an average of 6.5 points per game, all while putting together the league’s highest-scoring defense in two weeks. The Bucs are not an easy team to beat thanks to a heavyweight QB in Brady, a strong defensive core and mastermind Todd Bowles.
The Packers started the season a little differently. They embarrassingly lost to the Minnesota Vikings in week one, scoring just seven points.
In week two, they earned their first win of the season over the Chicago Bears and shared their .500 record. Against the Bears, Rodgers went 19 of 25 for 234 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Although Rodgers was a big improvement from the disaster against Minnesota, he was disappointed with his performance and realized he needed to improve to match Tampa Bay.
The Tampa Bay defense will be all over Rodgers Sunday. In two weeks, the Bucs have accumulated ten sacks in the league top and are third with six interceptions.
The Packers have seen dominance like this before in as long as Bowles has manned the Buccaneers.
In the teams’ two meetings with Bowles as head coach, Rodgers was fired nine times, five of them at the 2020 NFC Championship, which earned the Bucs a trip to the Super Bowl.
Sunday won’t just be a quarterback fight. The running game of both teams is aptly tested. Brady could be without his best wide receivers with Mike Evans suspended and Chris Godwin and Julio Jones injured.
Rodgers is still struggling with Davante Adams’ absence, and three receivers missed Thursday’s practice session with injuries (Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson and Allen Lazard).
A win for either side will add momentum, which is vital for any team at this stage of the season.
The Bucs went undefeated going 3-0 into another strong quarterback matchup against Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs.
The Packers would build on last week’s win over the Bears and go into a very profitable Week 4 meeting with the New England Patriots.
For Brady and Rodgers, the game doesn’t impact the individual legacy these players leave behind. But it would be a fitting farewell if one or both players resign in the near future.
The rivalry between these two athletes is mostly in the record books and their legacies rather than on the field.
The pair have competed as starters only four times, three of which were won by Brady. Rodgers’ only win came in 2014 when they first met.
Despite their limited competitions on the field, the names Brady and Rodgers keep having the same conversations about who is the best quarterback of their generation.
Brady dominates the numbers category, boasting the NFL’s all-time record for championships won, Super Bowl MVPs, games won, touchdown passes, and passing yards.
Rodgers, on the other hand, is often referred to as the more efficient quarterback. He has more MVP honors (four than Brady’s three) and the all-time best touchdown-to-interception ratio. Football fans agree that their individual style of play makes them great for a variety of reasons.
The two stars battle this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium at 4:25 ET.
This week, reigning Super Bowl champions the Rams and Cardinals are vying for a head start in the NFC West.
The Cardinals enter the matchup, riding the culmination of week two’s huge comeback overtime win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Rams were almost on the other side of such a comeback in week two, battling a fourth-quarter surge in the Atlanta Falcons to win 31-27.
The fight of this game will be the Rams’ high-profile defense versus the Cardinals’ high-profile offense. The Rams are tied for the NFL lead with seven takeaways. The Cardinals only have one giveaway that goes to very few in the league.
Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, 4:25 ET.
Last weekend, for the first time in 30 years, three teams (the Cardinals, the Dolphins and the Jets) overcame fourth-quarter deficits of 13 points or more to win.
The Bengals and the Falcons came incredibly close to that feat, closing the gap from deep deficits and falling just a few points from a comeback win.
And it’s not just the crazy comebacks that have been close wins. In fact, we’ve seen more close games this early in a season than ever before. 12 games have already been decided by three points or fewer, more than in any previous two-week NFL season.
Here’s how to catch these teams and others from across the league in action, no matter where you are.
Australia: NFL Game Pass, ESPN, 7Plus
Brazil: NFL Game Pass, ESPN
Canada: CTV, TSN, RDS, NFL Game Pass on DAZN
Germany: NFL Game Pass, ProSieben MAXX, DAZN
Mexico: NFL Game Pass, TUDN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sky Sports
UK: NFL Game Pass, Sky Sports, ITV, Channel 5
US: NFL Game Pass, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime