EAST RUTHERFORD – Pitch-and-catch. That might not even do it justice. Het perfecte telefoontje op het perfecte moment gehad Garrett Wilson open in the end zone, nine yards from his quarterback. Aaron Rodgers saw it. The protection held. He let it fly.
This would give the Jets three scores and start the rout against a Seahawks team that was woefully out of tune with Eastern Standard Time. Rodgers had thrown 494 touchdowns in his storied career. Few were as simple as this.
The ball sailed over Wilson’s head. Rodgers threw a pick-six to defensive lineman Leonard Williams at the next play. The Jets ultimately lost 26-21. Not only did the offense fail to score again. They never reached the red zone.
It makes you wonder if that could be the end of Rodgers in New York.
“It changed the momentum of the game,” Rodgers said.
It’s surprising to believe that this point has been reached, considering where it all started. A few months ago there was so much optimism. This wasn’t just a playoff team, but a team capable of making a legitimate run.
The offensive line: improved. Their playmakers: drenched. Their defense: In tact.
The key to all this, however, was Rodgers. The four-time MVP was back.
The calendar turned to December – meaningful games this month were once the barometer for this team. New York is 3-9. Ze zijn niet officieel geëlimineerd uit de play-offs, maar hun kansen zijn minder dan één procent. Nog één overwinning van de Chargers of Broncos, of nog één verlies van de Jets, en dan is het afgelopen.
That’s disappointing.
Rodgers’ struggles are a microscopic spark of this franchise’s ineptitude, but this year they seem to be the mascot of it all.
“There are a lot of frustrating things,” he said.
Rodgers finished 21 of 39 (53.8 percent) for 185 yards with two touchdowns and one interception on Sunday. It is the fifth time he has finished passing under 200 meters. He still has to throw 300. His eight interceptions rank second most since 2010. This for a Jets team that once sat 2-3 and was gearing up for a game to take sole possession of first place in the AFC East.
The 41-year-old has been dealing with injuries all year (two knees, hamstrings, ankle), but received no treatment this week and came off the injury report. It didn’t matter. This was its worst performance of the year, according to the EPA. Perhaps most alarming, this was the fifth time Rodgers had the ball in his hands with a chance to drive down the field and win the game (realistic amount of time).
The Jets are winless in those games.
On Sunday, Rodgers took the Jets to the Seahawks’ 29. He threw an incompletion to Davante Adamsa pass to Isaiah Davis Without any gain, he picked a sack from Williams and then threw an incompletion in the zip code of Garrett Wilson.
“Well, there’s 11 guys on the field,” Rodgers said of his struggles. ‘Sometimes it’s my fault. Certainly several times today. En dan zijn de details op sommige andere plekken ook niet aanwezig.”
The Jets held a meeting, as first reported by The athletic, following their loss to the Broncos, where it was suggested that Rodgers be benched in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor. The offensive staff convinced higher-ups not to make such a move and the shakeup was tabled. However, it appears it is being reconsidered.
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrichwhich has emphatically shut down any discussion of a quarterback change in the past, was much less definitive on Sunday. When asked if he would consider a quarterback, Ulbrich said, “As of today, not.”
Rodgers also spoke businesslike.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Daar komen we wel achter als we die gesprekken voeren.”
It’s highly unlikely that Rodgers would accomplish anything. Taylor is a competent backup, but not a long-term answer. Maybe he’ll provide a spark for a week — he’d certainly help the Jets stretch the ball down the field — but eventually he’ll regress to the mean.
However, remove Rodgers’ name and this is when changes are made. Rodgers hasn’t thrown for more than 250 yards since Oct. 20. The offense has scored more than 21 points only twice since September 29. They have lost three in a row and eight of their last nine.
And Rodgers isn’t considering their long-term plans.
As first reported by SNY two weeks ago, Rodgers’ return to the Jets in 2025 was “highly unlikely.” Ze wilden een nieuwe start bij algemeen directeur, hoofdtrainer en quarterback. While Rodgers expressed his desire to return (depending on who the new general manager and head coach were), the Jets wondered whether or not Rodgers could take them where they wanted to go.
Rodgers, perhaps for the first time in a decade, had to convince his team to keep him at quarterback.
That was supposed to start this Sunday, but it failed.
The Jets have already fired Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh. Next would be Rodgers.
And like those before him, it’s becoming clear that he may not finish the year.
