It took far longer than anticipated for the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers to secure their first victory at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the New England Patriots 24-3 after Aaron Rodgers spent a year recovering from an Achilles injury sustained in Week 1 of 2023. Even though the 40-year-old veteran has witnessed nearly everything the NFL can throw at a quarterback, Rodger felt compelled to thank the team on their most recent achievement with a “special” message.
It will take some getting used to, after all, to win in an outfit other than the Green Bay Packers. After being questioned about Team Gang Green’s 1-0 home record and being made aware of the J-E-T-S chants during the postgame news conference, Rodgers was surprisingly candid.
“Oh certainly, without a doubt. It was a truly memorable evening. Rodgers said, “Those shouts were all really important. “Yeah, very special night, but I was kind of hoping for a stop there to go take the final knee on the field.”
"It was a really special night." pic.twitter.com/0hO74KT4dG
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 20, 2024
Although Rodgers’ stat line was not very impressive, it wasn’t necessary for him to win this divisional rivalry match. For the future Hall of Famer, going 27-35 on passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns is simply another typical workday. The inexperienced playmaker with the deceiving athleticism might be benched for the team’s home game against the Denver Broncos in Week 4.
Jets are yet to find happiness with Aaron Rodgers.
The one aspect of a quarterback’s game that can only be improved with experience is decision-making, and this is what coach Robert Saleh was most impressed with.
Saleh clarified, “His mind is working at a high level.”
But it wasn’t all roses and free alcohol for the Jets. It appeared that Saleh and Rodgers got into a fight in the middle of the game.
I don’t know what Aaron Rodgers said, but if anybody glares at me like that I am running as far away as I can. 👀😳
pic.twitter.com/D8YIFnuAIT— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) September 20, 2024
Rodgers waved the altercation off.
Rodgers stated in court, “It wasn’t awkward at all.” I was unaware that he was reaching for the hug because he isn’t one to give hugs easily. He likes to do the two-hand chest push as well. However, he frequently discusses two-score leads. That’s what happened because I kind of shoved him and said, “Two-score lead.”
Saleh also had little to say about the state of affairs.
Saleh answered, “He just wanted to see something on defense.” “Just reminded me that we lead by two scores.”
After losing to the Jets 24-3, the Patriots must confront some hard truths.
After two close games, the New England Patriots had a 1-1 record going into Week 3 and had the opportunity to impress on national television against the New York Jets. And they did, in a sense.
It was not, however, the statement they had hoped to convey. Rather, there were overt signs of “They are who we thought they were” during their 24-3 loss on Thursday Night Football.
They did, in fact, resemble the 4-13 squad that started the regular season as one of the presumptive favorites to win the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Following an overtime loss in Week 2, the team’s confidence following an upset in the opening week gave way to a more melancholy assessment, which in turn prepared the audience for a lackluster performance in primetime against the Jets.
Of all, no single game can ever fully capture the essence of a team and its goals. Never are the highs as high or the lows as low as they could appear. Nevertheless, what the NFL is and has always been is a “What have you done for me lately” league.
And even in light of the difficult conditions they had to deal with, what the Patriots did on Thursday was, to put it mildly, a reality check.
First of all, they will only advance as far as the offensive line permits.
The Patriots’ 2023 offensive collapse was mostly caused by inadequate offensive line performance, particularly in the early part of the season. Even while the group did eventually calm down a little, it was always unstable and inconsistent in terms of both performance and people.
When you go back to 2024, you witness the same event. Even if the coaching, strategy, players, and ball security of the two offenses are very different, there is still a weakness in the O-line that unites them.
The most extreme and depressing illustration of that came on Thursday.
Between quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye, the offensive line gave up seven sacks. It also gave up an incredible 22 pressures on just 35 dropbacks combined, or a 62.9 percent rate. Eight Jets defenders were able to record at least one half-sack. Sure, the Patriots averaged 5.2 yards per run attempt with only 15 carries, but those figures are distorted considering how the game plan unfolded.
In actuality, the Patriots failed to perform one of the most crucial things in modern pro football: they were unable to maintain their quarterbacks clean. They were destined to fail once they were forced to pass after trailing 14-0.
Of course, against a strong Jets front led by All-Pro Quinnen Williams, the offensive line was not at full strength. Both Michael Jordan and Caden Wallace, a recent practice squad call-up and first-time starter, were injured, forcing the starting left side—guard Sidy Sow and tackle Vederian Lowe—to be substituted. Layden Robinson, a right guard, is a rookie layered above a veteran.
Since the spring, stability has been a source of anxiety, and Thursday was more of the same.
Lowe and Sow are anticipated to return to the Patriots at some time, perhaps following their impending short bye. However, given that the latter has not yet started an NFL regular season game at left guard and the former has not exactly excelled in his two games thus far, questions still exist.
Let’s not forget that Cole Strange played the greatest football of his young career prior to his season-ending patellar injury last December. Perhaps he can help turn things around once (if?) he returns off the physically unable to perform list later in the year. However, a return to form from him is also improbable.
For now, the Patriots offense and its line must play to survive another day.
