Bucs offer Rodgers shot at redemption

It's been five years since his last visit, but Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers remembers the gory details.

For a quarterback with few bad games on his resume, the ones that qualify are hard to forget. So, yes, Rodgers recalls the last time he played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside Raymond James Stadium. He could tell you all about Green Bay's 38-28 loss at Tampa Bay during the 2009 season, just as he could with the Packers' 30-21 loss at the Bucs the previous season.

Rodgers has played the Buccaneers three times, including a 35-26 win at Lambeau Field in 2011. His two games at Tampa Bay were two of his worst days as a pro. The MVP quarterback has only thrown three interceptions in a game three times. Two came inside Raymond James Stadium.

He'd like a little redemption when the Packers travel to the Bucs for a noon kickoff Sunday.

"I care about it, yeah," Rodgers said Tuesday on his weekly ESPN Milwaukee radio show. "On a level of one to 10 – if 10 is really caring about it, and one is not caring – it's closer to one than it is to 10. But that still counts as caring about it."

Ironically, Rodgers returns to Tampa Bay following what may have been the worst game of his career.

On Tuesday, he called his performance against the Buffalo Bills a "stinker." Rodgers' 34.3 passer rating against Buffalo was the lowest of his career. His 40.4 completion percentage was the lowest he's had as a starter. It was also his first regular-season game with multiple interceptions and no touchdown passes.

Not that he needed any more motivation against Tampa Bay.

"Sunday was a rough one," Rodgers said. "I didn't play well. That's not news to anybody. Now, it's frustrating because obviously I hold myself to a higher standard. I know I can play better, and I should've played better."

-rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood