The Jets wanted Aaron Rodgers to be Superman, however he completed a dreary, misty MetLife Stadium afternoon battered and overwhelmed and visibly pissed off and in want of a scorching tub for each legs, his cape misplaced and a recreation misplaced that by no means ought to have been misplaced.
Robert Saleh and Rodgers had 10 days to arrange for the Sean Payton-Bo Nix Broncos and you’ll have thought it was 10 minutes … 13 penalties? These aren’t the Similar Outdated Jets (I don’t suppose). However that’s Similar Outdated Jets crap.
This was no MVP Rodgers and these had been no Tremendous Bowl Jets.
“I feel we had been kinda killing ourselves, I can’t say I had a spectacular recreation, I missed some throws, the climate sucked,” Rodgers mentioned, “however so did a few of my throws.”
He was below repeated duress and he got here up limping following a fourth-quarter sack wanting like a 40-year-old quarterback for the primary time this season.
It marked the fifth time in Rodgers’ profession that his offense didn’t rating a landing.
“When your protection holds ’em to 10, you gotta win the sport one hundred pc of the time,” Rodgers mentioned. “That’s on the offense, it’s on me. Yeah, not adequate.”
This was a comedy of errors — besides Rodgers (24-42, 225 yards) wasn’t laughing after Broncos 10, Jets 9. He was wincing (5 sacks).
He orchestrated an undisciplined offensive unit — 5 false begins, a area objective following first-and-goal on the 1 — that acted as if his cadence was all of the sudden a overseas language.
“That was manner out of character for us,” Rodgers mentioned. “Looks as if an outlier. I don’t know if we have to make mass adjustments primarily based on sort of an outlier recreation.”
He couldn’t get Greg Zuerlein nearer than a missed 50-yard area objective broad proper within the last minute.
He was gifted one final likelihood at his 40 with 1:27 and no timeouts left after Will Lutz missed a 50-yard area objective. Aided by a go interference on Riley Moss towards Mike Williams, Rodgers superior to the Denver 32. However then threw incomplete for Williams.
On the earlier sequence, with 2:31 remaining, he threw three consecutive incompletions from his 45 earlier than being sacked by a blitzing P.J.Locke.
He threw balls that zigged whereas his receivers — Garrett Wilson and Xavier Gipson — zagged within the determined final two minutes.
“We weren’t actually on the identical web page,” Rodgers mentioned.
The Jets’ two younger offensive stars — Wilson (5-41, one first-quarter fumble) and Corridor (10-4 dashing, 2-14 receiving) had been non-factors. Rodgers and Wilson had been presupposed to remind everybody of Rodgers and Davante Adams, bear in mind? Corridor had hassle together with his footing and his false begins and must be utilized once more extra within the passing recreation.
“Manner too many psychological errors, too many poor throws,” Rodgers mentioned, “after which we simply missed some simple stuff, some safety stuff that ought to have been simple, some route adjustment stuff that ought to have been simple. I don’t know, our focus simply wasn’t as sharp because it’s been the primary three weeks.”
Left guard John Simpson’s false begin on fourth-and-goal on the 1 compelled Saleh to accept a area objective. A 34-yard go interference name in the long run zone on Moss towards Allen Lazard preceded a pair of stuffed Corridor runs and a harried Rodgers throwaway.
“You gotta get seven on this league to win,” Rodgers mentioned. “We had a number of alternatives to go up two scores, didn’t do it, that’s why we misplaced.”
His total operation was a multitude. There have been even instances when panic-stricken Jets followers might need feared {that a} Broncos backup quarterback named Zach Wilson had hijacked Rodgers’ No. 8 and snuck into the Jets huddle (sorry, couldn’t resist). Marvel if Sean Payton, on the flight dwelling to Denver, might need been tempted to regurgitate his notorious quote to somebody about 2022 Broncos head coach and present Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett: “One of many worst teaching jobs within the historical past of the NFL.”
Third-and-16 from the Denver 20. An finish zone shot? No, a 3-yard Corridor run. Third-and-14 on the NYJ 30. A 6-yard completion to Gipson.
“We let this one get away,” Rodgers mentioned.
For Rodgers, this was a dreaded, humbling “Welcome to the Jets” second. A kind of days while you begin to wonder if Life Begins at 40.
