Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will get his start against his former team on Sunday Night Football.
There will be shock value. Rodgers will be in a throwback Steelers uniform playing against the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers — who was a four-time NFL MVP in Green Bay from 2005-22 — knows how it feels to be Jordan Love in this situation, too.
Rodgers was the counterpart in Brett Favre's "Revenge Game" against the Packers in 2009. Favre and Rodgers would match up four times over the next two seasons. Rodgers does not feel the same description applies here.
"Obviously, I wish that things had been better in our last year there, but I have a great relationship with a lot of people still in that organization, and this is not a revenge game for me," Rodgers said via ESPN.com. "I'm just excited to see some of those guys and be on 'Sunday Night Football' again."
How does the so-called "Revenge Game" work out for Hall of Fame quarterbacks? Rodgers — who will be a future Pro Football Hall of Famer — can look at Favre and some other quarterbacks for how that might go.
Tom Brady played at New England. Peyton Manning faced Indianapolis twice. Favre, Joe Montana, Warren Moon and Kurt Warner also are among the Hall of Fame quarterbacks who faced their former teams.
Sporting News ranked those matchups by a combination of factors, including the split, the game and the legacy of those matchups. Where will Rodgers land?
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6. Kurt Warner vs. Saint Louis Rams (Sept. 18, 2005)
Final score: Rams 17, Cardinals 12
The split: Kurt Warner was the conductor of "The Greatest Show on Turf," and he led the Rams to two Super Bowl appearances in three seasons from 1999-2001. Warner, however, struggled with injuries in 2002 and was benched by coach Mike Martz in 2003 in favor of Marc Bulger. Warner played one season with the Giants before signing with the Arizona Cardinals.
The game: Warner went to the same division as the Rams. This was not a pretty game either. Warner connected on 29 of 42 passes for 327 yards, but he had an interception. Bulger hit 18 of 29 passes for 216 yards, a TD and an interception. Arizona didn't score an offensive TD, and a 7-yard TD run by Steven Jackson put the game away.
Legacy: Warner returned to St. Louis in Week 11 in 2005. He led Arizona to a 38-28 victory in which he passed for 285 yards and three TDs. He had a 7-2 record against St. Louis with Arizona. Warner pieced together successful careers with the Rams and Cardinals, so this piece gets lost in the shuffle.
MORE: Meet Kurt Warner's family tree, from wife Brenda to Fresno State QB son E.J.
5. Warren Moon vs. Houston Oilers (Oct. 8, 1995)
Final score:Vikings 23, Oilers 17
The split: Warren Moon played 10 seasons in Houston and was at the controls of the "Run and Shoot" offense. He led the NFL in passing yards in 1990 and 1991. The Oilers finished 12-4 in 1993 but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 28-20 in the AFC divisional round. Moon was traded to Minnesota ahead of the 1994 season.
The game: Moon would play against Houston at the Metrodome early in the 1995 season, which was now led by coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Chris Chandler. Moon — who finished 28 of 43 for 289 yards — threw two first-half TDs to Cris Carter but also had two interceptions. The Oilers tied the score at the end of regulation, but Robert Smith scored on a 20-yard TD in overtime to give Minnesota the victory.
Legacy: Houston relocated to Tennessee in 1997, and the Moon trade symbolized the end of the Oilers' era in Houston. Moon played three seasons in Minnesota, two years in Kansas City and two in Seattle before retiring after the 2000 season.
MORE: Ranking the 10 oldest QB matchups in history
4. Peyton Manning vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sept. 7, 2014)
Final score:Broncos 31, Colts 24
The split: Peyton Manning played 13 seasons in Indianapolis and led the Colts to a victory in Super Bowl XLI. He missed the 2011 season with a neck injury, and the Colts took Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Manning opted to sign with the Denver Broncos via free agency. He led the Broncos to a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013.
The game: The Broncos and Colts played on Sunday Night Football in Denver the following season. Manning hit Julius Thomas for three third-quarter TDs, and Denver held off a rally by Luck in the fourth quarter. Manning finished 22 of 36 for 269 yards and three TDs. Luck finished 35 of 53 for 370 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.
Legacy: This was the least-memorable matchup of the three between Manning and Luck. The Colts beat the Broncos 24-13 in the AFC divisional playoffs that season, and Indianapolis beat Denver 27-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Manning's long-awaited return on Nov. 8, 2015. Manning retired after the 2015 season.
MORE: Ranking the best QBs taken with picks 1-32
3. Brett Favre vs. Green Bay Packers (Oct. 5, 2009)
Final score: Vikings 30, Packers 23
The split: The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers with the No. 25 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, but Brett Favre stayed with Green Bay through the 2007 season amid constant retirement rumors. Favre retired on March 4, 2008, but after deciding to return in the middle of training camp, he was traded to the New York Jets. Favre played one season with New York before signing with the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings in 2009.
The game: The Packers traveled to the Metrodome on Monday Night Football, and Rodgers hit 26 of 37 passes for 389 yards, two TDs and an interception. Favre, however, hit 24 of 31 passes for 279 yards, three TDs and no interceptions. A 31-yard TD pass to Bernard Berrian put Minnesota ahead by two TDs, and they held off a Rodgers' rally.
Legacy: Favre then had 244 yards, four TDs and no interceptions in his return to Lambeau Field — a 38-26 victory on Nov. 1, 2009. The Vikings went to the NFC championship game. Rodgers, however, got revenge the following season. Green Bay swept Favre-led Minnesota in the regular season — including a 31-3 blowout in Week 10. Rodgers led the Packers to a 31-25 victory against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
MORE: Revisiting Brett Favre's timeline of controversies
2. Joe Montana vs. San Francisco 49ers (Sept. 11, 1994)
Final score: Chiefs 24, 49ers 17
The split: Joe Montana led the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories as a dynasty that stretched from the 1980s into the early 1990s. Montana, however, suffered an elbow injury and missed the 1991 season and most of the 1992 season. By that time, Steve Young had emerged as San Francisco's quarterback. The 49ers traded Montana to Kansas City ahead of the 1993 season. Montana led the Chiefs to the AFC championship game in 1993, and Young led the 49ers to the NFC championship game the same season. That built the hype for the matchup in 1994.
The game: The 49ers and Chiefs met in Week 2 at Arrowhead Stadium. Montana and Young each threw a TD pass in the first quarter, but the Chiefs took control of the game with two third-quarter TDs. Montana finished 19 of 31 for 203 yards and two TDs. Young finished 24 of 34 for 288 yards, one TD and two interceptions and was sacked four times.
Legacy: The "19" on the Chiefs jersey still looks out of place. Montana retired after the 1994 season. Young led the 49ers to a victory in Super Bowl XXIX that season and was named Super Bowl MVP. Both quarterbacks are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Montana never played against the 49ers at San Francisco.
MORE: Is Joe Montana the best 49er player of all time?
1. Tom Brady vs. New England Patriots (Oct. 3, 2021)
Final score: Buccaneers 19, Patriots 17
The split: Tom Brady played 20 seasons in New England and won six Super Bowls for the Patriots, but he retired briefly after the 2019 season before returning to join Tampa Bay. The Pats finished 12-4 and lost in the AFC wild card round to Tennessee the last year Brady was under center. Bill Belichick stayed in New England. Brady led Tampa Bay to a 31-9 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV in his first season, but they would not meet New England until the 2021 season.
The game: Brady returned to Gillette Stadium on Sunday Night Football. He hit 22 of 43 passes for 269 yards, and he led the game-winning field goal drive — a 48-yarder by Ryan Succop — in the final two minutes. Rookie Mac Jones finished 31 of 40 for 275 yards, two TDs and an interception — and Nick Folk missed a go-ahead 56-yard field-goal attempt in the final minute.
Legacy: Brady was in his second season with the Buccaneers, but it was awkward seeing him playing against Belichick. The post-game quotes didn't say much either. "We went against Tom Brady every day, every day in practice defensively," Belichick said afterward. "So it's not like we've never seen Tom Brady before." Still, this game is still cited in the "Brady or Belichick?" debate; an argument Brady has won post-New England career.
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