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Anthony Gharib, ESPNOct 4, 2024, 09:31 AM ET
Aaron Rodgers is no stranger to facing the Minnesota Vikings.
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On Sunday, the New York Jets quarterback will start his 30th game against the Vikings, tied for his most versus any opponent. The other team is the Chicago Bears; Rodgers exclaimed that he owned them in 2021.
Rodgers has won 17 of his 29 starts, tied with Brett Favre for the most wins by any quarterback vs. Minnesota. Bart Starr is third at 11.
He has thrown for 7,157 yards, 57 touchdowns and 8 interceptions against the Vikings. In their lone playoff matchup in the 2012 NFC wild-card round, Rodgers threw for 274 passing yards and one touchdown in a 24-10 win.
Rodgers isn’t the first, nor likely the last, signal-caller to attain significant success against a single opponent.
Here’s a look back at some quarterbacks with regular-season dominance against a single opponent since 2000 (minimum 15 games).
Record: 33-3
Win percentage: .917
Tom Brady’s final win against the Bills came while he was a member of the Buccaneers. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Brady haunted Bills fans across 20 seasons, turning a win against them into almost a formality.
His regular-season win percentage of .917 is the second best by any quarterback against a single opponent. Only the Dallas Cowboys‘ Roger Staubach had a better percentage, going 16-1 (.941) against the New York Giants. Brady’s 33 wins are the most by any quarterback against a single opponent in a regular season — he’s also in second with 30 wins against the Jets.
He threw for 9,032 yards plus 72 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Brady had arguably his best performance against Buffalo in 2007, throwing for 373 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-10 win.
Record: 25-2-1
Win percentage: .911
Big Ben took care of business against the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ division rivals.
He started 10-0 against the Browns, with his first loss coming in a low-scoring affair in 2009. Roethlisberger then remained undefeated against Cleveland in the regular season the rest of his career — though the Steelers lost to the Browns in the 2020 playoffs 48-37.
Record: 13-2
Win percentage: .867
Dak Prescott has won 13 straight games against the New York Giants. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Prescott dropped his first two games against the Giants but hasn’t lost since — a remarkable streak that continued this season.
Prescott’s 13 straight wins against New York are tied for the second-longest winning streak by a quarterback against a single opponent since 1950. Miami’s Bob Griese has the longest with 17 wins against the Bills.
His best performance came in 2019 when he threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-17 victory.
Joe Flacco vs. Cleveland Browns
Record: 18-3
Win percentage: .857
Before he led them to an improbable run to the 2023 playoffs, Flacco was associated with negative memories for Cleveland fans.
Similar to Roethlisberger, he had a hot start against the Browns, winning his first 11 meetings. Even when he left the AFC North and joined the Jets in 2022, Flacco still haunted Cleveland. He threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns in a win against the Browns in 2022.
Record: 17-3
Win percentage: .850
Peyton Manning set the NFL record for touchdown passes in a season in a 2013 game against the Houston Texans. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Whether he was with the Indianapolis Colts or Denver Broncos, Manning found success vs. the Texans.
He threw for 5,853 yards plus a strong touchdown-interception ratio of 48 to eight. Manning had two 400-yard passing games, including 433 in 2010 — the sixth most of his career. After dropping two straight matchups against the Texans across 2010 and 2012, Manning won the last eight meetings.
While playing Houston in 2013, Manning set the single-season record for most touchdowns.
ESPN Research contributed to this story.
