Bears LB Roquan Smith relishes playing the ‘best version’ of Aaron Rodgers in Week 2

It’s not lost on any of the Chicago Bears players that they only have five wins in 28 games against the Green Bay Packers since Aaron Rodgers became their starting quarterback in 2008.

After the Packers’ struggle in a 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 — a game in which they averaged just 5.5 yards per play and converted just three of 9 times on third down — Rodgers, who was held to fewer than 200 yards passing with a passer rating below 70 for just the fourth time since 2015, declared Green Bay would clean up its act by next week.

While head coach Matt Eberflus may be understating the weight of Week 2’s clash between NFC North rivals, Bears linebacker Roquan Smith, who’s beaten Rodgers just one time in eight games, is not.

“The guy is one of the greatest to ever play the game, and as a competitor myself, I love going against people like that,” Smith said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’m sure he’ll be a little bit [angry] after this last game. Hey, you wouldn’t want it any other way — get the best version of him, then we get the dub, and it will be even sweeter.’’

In his career, Smith has totaled 47 tackles, three tackles for loss, two passes defended, a sack, and one QB hit in seven games against Green Bay. The only win over the Packers that Smith has been a part of was a 24-17 victory in Week 14 of his rookie season in 2018.

All five Bears’ wins in the Rodgers era have been one-score games. The other four Bears victories in the Rodgers era include a 20-17 overtime win in 2008, a 20-17 win in 2010, a 27-20 triumph in 2013, and a 17-13 win in 2015.