Green Bay Reporter

 Aaron Rodgers is lashing out against what he’s determined not to allow to morph into the enemy within following his Green Bay Packers’ 27-22 upset loss to the New York Giants at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.in London.

"Frankly, I don't like all this conversation about losing next week," Rodgers told ESPN after the Oct. 9 game. "I'm a firm believer in the power of words and manifestation. And we've got to check ourselves on that, because talking about that is not winning football."

The two-time MVP quarterback’s fire was sparked after Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander said he wasn't worried about the defense despite the unit allowing a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns in the defeat.

"I ain't worried, but if we lose next week, then I'll be worried," Alexander said, looking forward to the Packers' showdown against the New York Jets on Sunday at Lambeau Field. "But it's a new situation for everybody. New circumstances, sleep patterns. It's a whole adjustment here in London."

Rodgers, who was openly excited about the team making the trip, has been careful to completely block out such talk.

“Ja's my guy, but we don't need to be talking like that," he said.

Against the Giants, the Packers started out strong in the franchise’s first-ever international game, racing to a 17-3 lead and a 20-10 halftime cushion. But things went downhill from there, with Rodgers unable to connect with any of his receivers on an assortment of deep-ball patterns. Overall, he completed just 47% of his throws with no touchdowns in the second half after connecting at a 75% completion rate in the first half along with two touchdowns.

“So, it was really a tale of two halves,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said in a video posted to Twitter on Monday. “The first half I thought was, for the most part, pretty solid. The second half wasn't good enough.”

In the end, the Packers’ loss proved to be the NFL’s win, with the matchup drawing the largest international NFL game audience in history; ClutchPoints reported this week. There were 5.5 million viewers between television and digital viewing, along with a packed house at Tottenham.

The next international NFL game is scheduled for Oct. 30 between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Denver Broncos.