Packers’ Aaron Rodgers: ‘Can’t be scared’ of Seahawks’ Richard Sherman

The last time Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers played in Seattle, the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback didn’t even attempt a throw in the direction of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. The result: a season-opening loss to the Seahawks, 36-16.

On Sunday, Rodgers and Co. will be back in Seattle for the NFC Championship game, but will he employ the same strategy?

“You have to be aware of him,” Rodgers said on his radio show Tuesday. “Not scared of him, but you have a ton of respect for him.”

Rodgers had one of his worst games of the season against the Seahawks, completing just 22 passes for 186 yards with one touchdown. He was also sacked three times, credited with a fumble and had a pass intercepted.

“Look at the numbers, they don’t lie. Not a lot of guys catch passes on his side, and for the amount of times he’s targeted, his interception totals are very impressive,” Rodgers said. “You just have to play your game, but if he’s locking his guy down, he’s probably not going to get a lot of passes thrown his way.”

Sherman had four interceptions in the regular season and picked off Panthers quarterback Cam Newton last week in the Seahawks’ divisional round playoff win over Carolina, 31-17.

This time around, Rodgers is dealing with a strained left calf, which limited his mobility last week, though he completed 24 of 35 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns in a divisional playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys, 26-21.

“It was worse than when I started the game,” Rodgers said. “But yeah, it’s doing OK. Probably, I think a lot of people are tired of it. I’m tired of talking about it, but it is what it is.”

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme