GREEN BAY, Wis. — Leave it to Mike McCarthy and Bill Belichick to cut the unfettered hype with some levity.

When asked Wednesday morning by New England’s media to draw a comparison between his star quarterback, Tom Brady, and Green Bay’s elite counterpart, Aaron Rodgers, Belichick responded: “They both wear No. 12.”

Told a few hours later in his news conference with Wisconsin media about Belichick’s deadpan answer, McCarthy answered, “I think comparable questions are tough. Stay away from them. (But) I guess to add to it, they’re both from California.”

Nothing like trying to downplay in so few words the enormity being made of the impending duel between what a growing public opinion feels are the top two teams in the NFL.

Belichick’s Patriots, who are tied for the best record in the league and sit at the head of the AFC class with a 9-2 record, visit Green Bay for an in-season game for the first time since 2006. McCarthy’s Packers, who sit alone atop the NFC North for the first time this season with an 8-3 record, are looking to augment their dominance at Lambeau Field in the marquee game Sunday afternoon.

“We’re focused on winning,” McCarthy said. “We have great respect for New England. … (But) this is an important game because it gives us a chance to get to nine wins. Something we’ve always stayed focused on is the importance of getting to 10 wins as fast as you can in every season.

“This is a home game. It’s an opportunity to get to win No. 9. It’s against an excellent football team that’s playing very well. These cross-conference games are always fun to compete in, especially since you only do it once every four years.”

Adding to the compelling late-season showdown is the uniqueness of a matchup within the uncommon matchup. After six-plus seasons and 107 starts (including the playoffs) as the face of Green Bay’s offense, Rodgers will be starting an official game opposite Brady for the first time.

Rodgers missed the Packers’ 31-27 loss at New England in 2010 because of a concussion.

“It’s fun to be living out a dream,” Rodgers said Wednesday, calling fellow Northern Californian Brady a friend. “This is my 10th (pro) season. He’s been playing a few more than that. This is rare. We’re both on the original team that drafted us, so that’s pretty special. I think he’s been with one coach (Belichick) his entire career. I’ve been with the same GM (Ted Thompson) and one coach (McCarthy) my entire starting career as well. That’s pretty special.”

Whether this potentially one and only game pitting Brady against Rodgers at Lambeau Field (the Patriots aren’t due to return until 2022, when Brady would be 45) turns out to be as good as it’s being advertised from coast to coast this week remains to be seen.

New England presumably is the team being chased for league supremacy by a slew of contenders with five weeks left. The Patriots have won seven in a row, including routs of at least 20 points their last three games against teams that were division leaders at the time.

Yet, the pressure may be on the Packers more to win this game, even if they have shown to be next to invincible at venerable Lambeau this season with a 5-0 record, winning their last four home games by 32, 21, 41 and 33 points.

Green Bay is clinging to its newfound one-game division lead over the Detroit Lions, who were rocked 34-9 by the Patriots on the road last Sunday. Depending on how the Lions fare Thursday in their Thanksgiving game against the Chicago Bears, the Packers could be quickly back to even with Detroit if they can’t end New England’s 14-game winning streak against NFC North teams.

The Patriots’ only loss against an NFC North foe since the advent of realignment in 2002 was 28-10 to the visiting Packers on Oct. 13, 2002. Rodgers, whose birthday is Tuesday, was 18 years old and a freshman playing junior-college football not far from his hometown of Chico, Calif., that fall.

“It’s a game we need to win just to keep going forward in this momentum,” receiver Jordy Nelson said of the Packers’ winning seven of their last eight games, including a tense 24-21 outcome at the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday.

“I don’t want to say it’s a measuring stick (Sunday) because I don’t know who’s measuring who, and then you’re putting one team above the other,” Nelson added. “I think it’s going to be a good game. It’s two of the top teams in the league right now. But, at the end of the day, it’s just one game. That’s really what it’s going to come down to.”

And, don’t expect McCarthy, much like the low-key Belichick, to wax histrionic about what is on the horizon this weekend.

“You have real drama and you have made-up drama,” McCarthy said. “We stay away from all of the made-up drama and focus on the real drama, and that’s play the New England Patriots in Lambeau Field and all of those big moments that are in front of us.”

NOTES: Among those missing practice Wednesday were OLB Nick Perry (shoulder), RG T.J. Lang (ankle) and CB Jarrett Bush (groin). … Limited in practice were LG Josh Sitton (toe) and TE Brandon Bostick (hip).