“Two Hall of Fame quarterbacks going at it, Lambeau Field, this is what you look for in a game as a fan, and as somebody who played the game,” said Gonzalez, now an analyst for CBS in his first year of retirement.
“I don’t think it gets better than this, this late in the year, too. It’s just amazing. It’s a fun game to be a part of.”
The quarterbacks — Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers — will be at the center of the hype. It’s the first time the two have started a game against each other, with Rodgers missing a 2010 matchup with a concussion and playing sparingly as Brett Favre’s backup in a 2006 New England romp.
The two have combined for 56 touchdowns and nine interceptions through their teams’ first 11 games this season.
“This could be a potential Super Bowl matchup,” Gonzalez said. “The questions are: How many points are going to be scored? Which defense is going to show up? It’s going to be very difficult to stop a Hall of Fame quarterback. Both these offenses are on fire, they are doing record-breaking stuff right now. I can’t remember a matchup like this in the regular season. You’ve seen Peyton [Manning] and Tom go against each other regularly, but it’s the first time for these two.”
The X-factor in this game could be Darrelle Revis. The Patriots cornerback, now over two years removed from a torn ACL, has returned to the form that made him the best cornerback in the game and the key to Rex Ryan’s once-vaunted Jets’ defense.
“The Patriots will probably double Jordy Nelson and Revis will guard Randall Cobb one-on-one. That’s why they are so hard to play and score against. It’s so hard to find a rhythm against one of the best corners in the league,” Gonzalez said.
The excitement surrounding this matchup seemed unlikely in the first month of the season, when both teams were criticized for slow starts. Rodgers famously told his naysayers to “R-E-L-A-X” after Green Bay fell to 1-2 and Brady was all but run out of town by out-of-towners after he was benched during a Monday night thrashing by the Chiefs.
“Both these teams parallel each other in so many ways,” Gonzalez said. “Somebody even said, ‘Tom Brady should be traded.’ What are you talking about? These guys are Hall of Famers in the prime of their careers. I don’t think they’ve ever played better.”
So, what is the pressure like going into such an unfamiliar, but anticipated, matchup?
“I got a chance to interview Rodgers on Monday and he said, ‘we are going to downplay this’ but they understand the implications,” Gonzalez said.
“Everybody is watching. You can say both teams are the best in their conference. They know what’s going on and understand that all eyes will be on this game.”
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