Aaron Rodgers lowers expectations for his offense against potentially great Packers defense

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are getting their workout in this preseason.

The Packers had a strong defense last season and made it potentially even better heading into 2022 with a handful of key additions to the front seven. That includes two first-round picks, linebacker Quay Walker and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt from Georgia and veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed — who signed as a free agent.

Add in the fact that superstar cornerback Jaire Alexander is finally healthy and back on the field, and there's a great chance the Packers feature an elite unit in Joe Barry's second season as defensive coordinator.

So elite, in fact, that Green Bay's defense has apparently been giving Rodgers — a four time-MVP and winner of two straight — and his offense problems during practice.

When asked if the offense would be able to better its fortunes against Green Bay's defense in practice, Rodgers was uncharacteristically pessimistic.

“I don’t know if we’re going to,” Rodgers said, according to Bill Huber of Packer Central. “I mean, they’re a talented bunch. I’d like to stalemate every day. I think that’s possible.”

To be fair, Rodgers wasn't as much down on his unit as he was praising Green Bay's defense. He also seems to believe the challenge will be good for his offense, while the swagger will be great for the one on the other side of the ball.

“How we deal with adversity is how we reveal the character of our football team. Especially on offense. We need to take our lumps and figure out what kind of football team we’re going to be. So, I love it. It’s great," Rodgers said. "It feels good, the defense having that confidence. There’s been some training camps [where] we’ve beat the hell out of them. And it doesn’t do great for their confidence."

“But when they’re confident and Joe is opening up the playbook and running a bunch of crazy stuff at us, it’s great. Because we’d love to see from an offensive standpoint, be as aggressive as you possibly can. And we’ll take care of our business. But you guys be aggressive and attack. And when it looks good against us, I think it’s going to look good against other people, too.”

If the Packers do truly have an elite defense this season, it will be the first time that can be said since they won the Super Bowl in 2010-11, and even that unit was more opportunistic than elite.