Detroit Lions DB DeShon Elliott: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers 'don't respect us'
The Detroit Lions have plenty of motivation Sunday to beat the Green Bay Packers with a potential playoff spot on the line. Real or contrived, here's another one.
Lions safety DeShon Elliott said Friday he and his teammates feel disrespected by the Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
"I feel like they don’t respect us," Elliott said. "A-Rod doesn’t respect us, that team doesn’t respect us. We’re used to being the underdog. No matter what the record says, we’re going to go out there and we’re going to fight our ass off, play smash-mouth football just 'cause the respect factor. We all got here some way, somehow. Yeah, he’s a Hall of Famer, but I just don’t like the way he’s been talking about my guys all year and the way that team views us, so we’re going to go out there and prove something."
Rodgers made dismissive comments about the Lions after a 15-9 loss at Ford Field in Week 9 in which he threw three interceptions, including two in the red zone.
Rodgers blamed himself for the loss, saying, "We can’t lose a game like that against that team."
The Lions were 1-6 at the time and owners of the worst record in the NFL. They've won seven of nine games since and need a win Sunday at Lambeau Field and a Seattle Seahawks loss to the Los Angeles Rams to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Packers (8-8) have won five of seven games since losing to the Lions; they can earn their fourth straight playoff appearance with a win Sunday, regardless of the result in Seattle.
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Asked if he was irked by Rodgers' November comments, Elliott said, "Just period."
"Like the way he carries himself. I don’t like none of that (stuff) so we got to go out there and show what we can do and show who’s the big dog," Elliott said. "Shoot, back all the talk up, so we’re going to go out there and do that."
The Lions' second-leading tackler, Elliott is expected to return to the lineup Sunday after a two-game absence due to a dislocated shoulder.
Elliott said his shoulder feels "great," and Lions coach Dan Campbell said it would take a "major setback" to keep Elliott off the field.
Rodgers has played his best football of the season since bottoming out against the Lions. He has 11 touchdown passes and three interceptions in his past seven games.
"I just feel like as a competitor bro, you respect everybody in this league and for you to see something or hear somebody say some wild stuff about you or your teammates, your brothers, shoot, what you going to do?" Elliott said. "You going to lay down or you going to stand up? So we’re going to go out there and we’re going to stand up."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions DB DeShon Elliott: Aaron Rodgers, Packers 'don't respect us'
