Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers expressed his gratitude for his teammate Sunday following the 17-0 shut out win over the Seattle Seahawks. The recognition comes not from something that happened on the field, but what happened while Rodgers was not allowed on the field.

Packers beat writer for The Athletic, Matt Schneidman, brought to light the subject.

Rodgers spoke about how close he and defensive end Preston Smith have become. Smith apparently checked in on him every day during his 10-day quarantine.

Rodgers was forced to quarantine after contracting COVID-19 and failing the test last Tuesday. During his time away, Rodgers' created a lot of buzz with his appearance on the Pat MacAfee Show. Rodgers later acknowledged and apologized for misleading the public on his vaccination status, but that he stands by his comments.

A lot of people feel that he is being disingenuous and that that is contradictory. Preston Smith apparently is not one of them. Smith and Rodgers have developed a friendship over the last couple of years.

Smith signed with Green Bay prior to the 2019 season. In his first season with the Packers, Smith recorded 12 sacks and was an anchor on the defensive line. He has seen his playing time slightly decrease, as well as his production on the field. Smith only captured four sacks last season and is yet to record one this year.

None of that matters though as Green Bay improved to 8-2 with their impressive win over Seattle Sunday. Following the Arizona Cardinals surprising loss to Carolina, the Packers sit atop the NFC standings due to holding a better conference record.