Lions' DeShon Elliott blasts Packers' Aaron Rodgers over perceived disrespect

Detroit Lions safety DeShon Elliott isn't worried about giving Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers bulletin-board material ahead of the Sunday night matchup between the division rivals. 

According to Kyle Meinke of MLive Media Group, a defiant Elliott declared Friday that he feels neither Rodgers nor the Packers as a whole respect the Lions. 

"We shouldn’t be an underdog, no matter what the record says," Elliott said of the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game. "Going out there, I think we’re going to fight our ass off, play smashmouth football, just 'cause of the respect factor."

As of late Friday afternoon, OddsChecker showed that multiple sportsbooks listed the Lions as +4.5-point underdogs. 

"Yeah, he’s a Hall-of-Famer, but I just don’t respect the way he’s been talking about my guys all year, and the way that team views us," Elliott added about Rodgers. "So we’re going to go out there and prove something." 

Rodgers threw three interceptions in the Week 9 15-9 loss at Detroit on Nov. 6, and he said after that defeat that the Packers "can’t lose a game like that against that team, no." Following Green Bay's win over the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 19, Rodgers corrected ESPN’s Lisa Salters and noted that not all of Green Bay's final three regular-season games were against teams above .500. The Lions were 7-7 at that time, and both Detroit and Green Bay sit at 8-8 heading into the weekend. 

"The way he carries himself, I don’t like none of that (expletive)," Elliott responded when asked what bothers him about Rodgers. "So, we got to go out there and show what we can do, and show who the big dog (is), back up all the talking we do. We’re going to go out there and do that." 

The Lions can clinch a playoff berth by beating the Packers but only if the 8-8 Seattle Seahawks fail to defeat the 5-11 Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon. Regardless of what occurs earlier on Sunday, Green Bay will face a "win-and-you're-in" scenario against Detroit at Lambeau Field.