The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face Aaron Rodgers for the final time in his historic career in Week 6.
Barring an unexpected Super Bowl LXI matchup between the Buccaneers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the season, Rodgers will face off against Tampa Bay for the final time on Sunday. The 42-year-old is calling it a career after 22 seasons in the NFL this year.
Todd Bowles has matched up against Rodgers multiple times in his career, notably as the Buccaneers' defensive coordinator when Tampa Bay defeated Rodgers' Green Bay Packers in the 2020 NFC Championship Game. The Buccaneers would go on to win the Super Bowl that season.
Bowles gave Rodgers praise while looking ahead to the matchup, calling him a "nightmare" to game plan against.
"It's a nightmare game planning against him," said Bowles of Rodgers. "He's difficult because he's extremely intelligent. His football IQ is unbelievable. He's extremely accurate with the football. He can dissect things before the play even happens. He can see it when the huddle breaks."
Rodgers continues to play at a high level at his advanced age. While his mobility isn't what it once was, he's still passing at an elite level with three straight games of three touchdown passes. It's the first time since his 2021 MVP season that he's accomplished this feat. The four-time MVP ranks fifth in the NFL with 10 touchdown passes.
"He can see a tip here or there that a lot of people can't see that lets him know what it is, and he knows where to go with the football," said Bowles of Rodgers. "He's very bright that way, and he can bait you into a lot of things. He has a lot of tricks to the trade he's learned over the years. But overall, his intelligence, his arm, his knowledge of the game, it all ties in for being a great quarterback."
Bowles is 2-2 against Rodgers during his career. He'll be hoping to make it 3-2 as the Buccaneers look to ride the momentum from their first-game win last week against the Dallas Cowboys.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Buccaneers' Todd Bowles on playing against Aaron Rodgers: 'It's a nightmare'