'Worried' about Week 1 Opponent, Bills' Quarterback Labels Aaron Rodgers 'One of the Greatest'
Game respects game.
Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen spoke highly of new AFC East rival Aaron Rodgers during an interview with Sports Illustrated's Robin Lundberg.
Fresh off being announced as the Madden '24 video game cover athlete, Allen recognized the accomplished career that the New York Jets' future Hall-of-Fame quarterback has built.
"He's [Rodgers] one of the greatest to ever put the pads on," said the 27-year old Allen, who finished second to Rodgers in the 2020 NFL MVP voting.
Allen wasn't even in high school yet when Rodgers, a 2005 first-round draft pick, took over as Green Bay's starter in 2008.
Now a grizzled veteran, Rodgers ranks fifth amongst all-time NFL leaders in touchdown passes (475) and ninth in pass yards (59,055).
“I’m such a big fan of Aaron. I think he’s done so much for the game of football," said Allen. "There's a lot of his game that everybody tries to emulate — the off-platform stuff, the arm strength, the creativity with the ball placement, some of the stuff that he does running around, too."
Allen, who has gained over 3,000 rush yards in his first five NFL seasons, called the 39-year old Rodgers "sneaky athletic."
"I'm just fortunate enough to be able to play against him," said Allen, who faced Rodgers as a rookie in 2018 and again during a Sunday Night Football game last October.
In 2023, Allen and the Bills will have to face the Jets at least twice, including a highly-anticipated Week 1 matchup on Monday Night Football.
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“They’re game one. That’s the only team I’m worried about right now,” said Allen.
The Jets' defense bottled up Allen and the Bills' high-octane offense in 2022, limiting them to 37 total points over a two-game span. For the season, Buffalo averaged 28.4 points per contest — the second-highest mark in the NFL.
With Allen taking the snaps, the Bills have posted a 17-3 record (including playoffs) against AFC East teams over the past three seasons. The Jets, without a star quarterback, are responsible for two of Buffalo's three most-recent division losses.
Bringing Aaron Rodgers into the fold, Gang Green has added to a long list of capable QBs in the AFC led by Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Allen.
"We've got the find a way to beat a lot of good quarterbacks in this league," said Allen.
Now there's another one in Allen's division.
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