Arizona Cardinals mastery of outstanding passer continues

The Arizona Cardinals have been a thorn in the side of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for quite some time now

The Arizona Cardinals have done it again. For whatever reason, the organization has managed to give one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks fits. This past Sunday was no different.

As hard as it is to believe, the Cards once again emerged victorious against the great Aaron Rodgers. The club came away with a 20-17 win, their fourth triumph in six all-time meetings with the Green Bay Packers stud.

The six-time Pro Bowler first encountered the Cardinals on the final weekend of the 2009 campaign. Big Red, preparing for a playoff matchup with the Packers the very next week, ended up resting most of their starters in the meaningless regular-season finale. Rodgers engineered a 33-7 blowout against mostly backups, but the Cards would be getting their revenge soon enough.

Seven days later, an Arizona squad led by Kurt Warner knocked Rodgers and Green Bay from the postseason. An incredible shootout took place in the desert, an offensive bonanza if you will. The Cardinals came out on top in overtime by a score of 51-45 in one of the most exciting playoff games ever.

The next meeting between the two franchises would be in 2012. Rodgers got the upper hand in this one, guiding the Pack to a 31-17 win. The gunslinger threw four touchdown passes that day, besting a group of Cards led by John Skelton.

Arizona beat Rodgers and the Packers to a pulp the next time they tangled, in December of 2015. The Cardinals’ defense made life miserable for the Green Bay passer that Sunday, sacking him nine times. An offense led by Carson Palmer did the rest, and Arizona coasted to a 36-6 victory.

Another postseason matchup between the two franchises would follow three weeks later. A late Hail Mary touchdown toss thrown by Rodgers sent the contest into overtime, but the Cards would regroup. Future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald took over during the extra quarter, leading his team to a 26-20 triumph.

The Cardinals’ win this past weekend against Rodgers was actually pulled off by a protege of his. Josh Rosen had worked with the Packers’ leader prior to the 2018 draft, absorbing as much knowledge as he could from the MVP of Super Bowl XLV. How sweet it must’ve been for the youngster to defeat his mentor in their first-ever head-to-head meeting.

Every quarterback has a team that’s a thorn in their side. A pain in the you-know-what, if you will. Arizona has certainly been that to Rodgers over the years.