The Green Bay Packers are 4-1-1 and even though they haven’t played their best football over the past few weeks, they should absolutely be considered a top contender in the NFC.

This is a Packers team that has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations and the talent on both sides of the ball to win it all. The issue for head coach Matt LaFleur has been that this is a team that seemingly lacks focus at times, and they’re heading into a game that’s going to be surrounded by a ton of hype and media circus.

Up next on the schedule is the Pittsburgh Steelers and their quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was drafted by the Packers, won a Super Bowl and four NFL MVP awards with the Packers, and will eventually go into the NFL Hall of Fame representing the Packers.

The media would make a huge deal about this game no matter what, as they, frankly, should, but it’s also worth noting that the Steelers are also a good team at 4-2 and this game will be on “Sunday Night Football.”

“We’re playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happen to have Aaron Rodgers,” LaFleur said on Monday, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “It’s as simple as that. That is for you guys to talk about. Granted, I mean, we’ve got a lot of love and respect for Aaron. What he’s done here, I mean, he’s a Hall of Famer. And I know like our past together, we had a lot of great moments, but this game is not about that.”

Matt LaFleur can’t allow Packers to get caught up in the Aaron Rodgers hype

LaFleur’s Packers are still young, so you get the sense that he’s already out there trying to get his messaging across. Everyone around this game is going to make it a big deal, but it’s still just a football game.

For these guys, it’s work.

Time flies, so it’s also worth remembering that Rodgers was traded by the Packers to the New York Jets in April of 2023. There are several key players on this team that were never teammates with Rodgers. That list includes, but is not limited to, Josh Jacobs, Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden, Edgerrin Cooper, Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams and, of course, Micah Parsons.

“I don’t even know if many of these guys played with him,” LaFleur said. “There’s a few guys but, nah, I think that’s for you guys.”

Ultimately, Pittsburgh is simply the next opponent on Green Bay’s schedule. This is a huge game and even a potential Super Bowl preview, but LaFleur can’t allow his team to make it anything more than that.

Heck, he admitted that he’s barely watched Rodgers play this season.

“That’s kind of what we’re diving into right now,” LaFleur said, referencing Rodgers’ film.