Mack Wilson Sr. can only recall an NFL with Aaron Rodgers in it.
The Cardinals linebacker was five years old when Rodgers made his NFL debut with the Packers in 2005. Now Wilson, 26, will go against Rodgers, 40, for the second time in his career when the Cardinals host the Jets.
"It's crazy to see, honestly," Wilson said. "Everybody's got their own story, so it's amazing to see his story and how things unfolded for him and playing at a high level ever since the first day he started."
Sunday marks the eighth time the Cardinals will face Rodgers. The Cardinals hold a 4-3 record against the future Hall of Famer. During their time in the NFC North, Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis were tasked with game planning against Rodgers twice a season.
"He's still a very elite player," the defensive coordinator said.
Familiarity is important, but Rodgers' football I.Q. is one of the reasons why he'll have a bronze bust in Canton.
"We had an exotic look, unscouted, and his ability to change the protections and get it exactly picked up and deliver a pass," Rallis said. "You're not going to be able to get over on this guy with something new. His brain is powerful."
It's a change for the defense after the Cardinals faced a rookie quarterback just a week earlier in Caleb Williams. The unit brought a bunch of unscouted looks and pressures that made the Bears quarterback uncomfortable throughout the afternoon, recording six sacks and generating 16 different players with pressure.
Rodgers typically won't let himself get hit and has created a reputation for his quick release.
"He's a savant," Gannon said. "We just have to play good, clean ball. It's about us. It's about what he likes to do versus certain things. We've got to make sure that we win a good amount of those one-on-ones.
Regardless of the opponent, Wilson said the objective of playing fast and physical remains the same each week. The defense has played admirable ball as of late.
In their last two games at home, the team has not allowed a touchdown and pitched their third second-half shutout of the season. The Cardinals (5-4) are in first place in the NFC West and will remain their going into their bye week if they can topple the Jets (3-6), who are desperate to keep their playoff hopes breathing.
"We lock in and have that mindset that it's 0-0 on the scoreboard and we're going back out there and playing like we're starting from the beginning," Wilson said. "I feel like we come together more at half, as a team. We've played tremendous ball the last few games after the half, but we got to keep building on it and keep getting better."
On 'Thursday Night Football' last week, the Jets came out of halftime and dominated. After Rodgers threw for only 32 yards in the first half, he finished the game going 22-of-32 with three touchdowns for 211 yards in the 21-13 win over the Texans.
That's the type of offense the Cardinals defense has to be prepared to face, even as they enter Sunday's game with a 3-6 record. As Wilson has grown to learn, their opponent is one of the best to ever do it.
"I was talking about it to some of the guys that (Rodgers) presence alone has a lot of aura to it," Wilson said. "When you talk about quarterbacks having aura, he's one of the guys that's up there."
