Aaron Rodgers ‘Owns' the Bears, But What About Washington?

Aaron Rodgers 'owns' the Bears, but what about Washington? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

With the Packers leading the Bears late in Sunday's game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers delivered the knockout punch with a six-yard touchdown rush to seal the game for Green Bay. But, what came next immediately became the top story from Sunday's win.

"I own you! I still own you!" Rodgers yelled at the Chicago faithful in Soldier Field.

Rodgers' didn't have to tell the Windy City fans that -- it's not like they didn't already know. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has won 22 of his 27 regular season starts against Chicago since becoming Green Bay's starter, turning the NFL's oldest rivalry into one of the most lopsided ones.

Green Bay has Washington next on the schedule. And, with Ron Rivera's club headed to Lambeau next week, that got me thinking: Does Aaron Rodgers "own" Washington, too?

Surprisingly, he doesn't.

For his career, Rodgers has a 2-3 regular season record against Washington. Out of the 31 other franchises the quarterback has played against, only six other teams does Rodgers have a career winning percentage of .500 or lower against. And, of those six clubs, only Tampa Bay has faced No. 12 more than Washington.

Rodgers does have a postseason win over Washington, though, a 35-18 Wild Card victory on the road in January of 2016, bringing his career record against the WFT to 3-3. That victory is the only time Green Bay and Washington have faced one another in the playoffs since Rodgers became the Packers' starter.

Rodgers' first career game against Washington came all the way back in 2010, a matchup Washington won, 16-13, in overtime. Rodgers finished with 293 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the game -- the only time a Washington player has ever picked off Rodgers in his career.

In 2013, the two teams played in Lambeau and Rodgers led Green Bay to a blowout 38-20 victory over Washington. Rodgers finished with 480 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in what was one of the most impressive individual performances of his career. The final score was a lot closer than the game truly was, as the Packers led 38-0 in the third quarter before Washington was finally able to put points on the board.

After that blowout win in 2013, Green Bay and Washington would not face one another again until that Wild Card matchup in 2016. In that Packers' win, Rodgers played solid but was nothing spectacular. He finished with just 210 yards passing and two touchdowns, as Green Bay's running game accounted for the two other scores. Washington jumped out to an early 8-0 lead but it was quickly erased. In the end, it was an easy victory for Green Bay.

Eleven months later, though, Washington was able to get its revenge on Rodgers. Playing host to Green Bay on Sunday Night Football the weekend before Thanksgiving, Kirk Cousins outdueled Rodgers en route to a 42-24 victory over the Packers for Washington's best win of the 2016 season.

Cousins finished that big win with 375 passing yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 145.8 QB rating. Rodgers still lit up the stat sheet with 351 passing yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to top Cousins and Washington that night.

The next matchup between the two teams game in September of 2018, where Washington defeated Green Bay, 31-17, at home. That game was the Adrian Peterson show, as the veteran running back ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Rodgers finished with a modest stat line: 265 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, but the Packers' offense struggled to establish any sort of rhythm for most of the day.

The most recent game between Green Bay and Washington was a clash that took place just two seasons ago. The Packers were victorious over Washington, 20-15, but neither team played particularly well.

Rodgers had an atypical outing that Sunday against Washington, as he finished the game with under 200 passing yards and one touchdown. Running back Aaron Jones was the best player on the field that day, as he finished with 134 rushing yards, 58 receiving yards and a touchdown in the win. A Dwayne Haskins-led Washington team stuck around, and an amazing Terry McLaurin touchdown gave the team some life late, but Green Bay ultimately held on to win.

Although the two teams played one another less than two years ago, Washington has just a few remaining players from that game. Only three offensive starters from that game have remained in Washington since: McLaurin, Brandon Scherff and Chase Roullier. The defensive side has a few more holdovers, as Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen, Cole Holcomb and Landon Collins all started that game against Green Bay. 

Additionally, Washington has an entirely new staff. Ron Rivera only kept two coaches from Washington's previous regime, Nate Kaczor and Randy Jordan, when he was hired as head coach in January of 2020.

Despite all the changes, Green Bay is still the heavy favorite -- Washington is a 9.5-point underdog, according to PointsBet USA -- when the two teams meet on Sunday. The Packers have won five straight games and Rodgers, the reigning league MVP, has not missed a step.

But, if Rodgers' career against Washington is any indication of what's to come this weekend, Rivera's club has a fighting chance.