Aaron Rodgers is not a savior just yet, but QB may be what Jets need

The oldest man in the National Football League took off to his left, and an entire fanbase held its collective breath once more. Aaron Rodgers slid on the MetLife Stadium turf – where his 2023 season will end after four plays – for a first down and 5 yards gain on the game’s second play.

“The first time he ran,” running back Breece Hall said, “I kind of started laughing in the back of my head. I was just like, ‘He’s crazy.’”

Super Bowl victory:

Then Thursday night was a salve for New York Jets fans. It was the first time Rodgers saw the MetLife field since one of the cruelest season-ending injuries during his Jets debut against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11, 2023, and he made it count.

He led his team to a 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots while showing the type of quarterback who could do for the Jets what they all dream of: send them to the postseason after an interval of 14 years.

By the third-quarter finale, chants of “J-E-T-S!” became “Aa-ron Rod-gers!” With the clock reading just 42 seconds remaining, Rodgers would be perfectly fine if the defense could get one final stop so he could soak it all in by kneeling down to run out the final seconds.

“It was a really special night,” he said. “All those chants are really meaningful.”

Rodgers did not carry an American flag :

Out onto the field before pregame introductions, as he did last season.

He carried the early-season hopes of a championship-starved franchise with those four words: “I’m Davante Adams.” Rodgers was 27-of-35 for 281 passing yards and two touchdowns. He completed eight of his first nine passes to six different receivers.

And he would have declined carrying a flag this time, he said.

“I felt a really good calm about it, honestly. I didn’t think a whole lot about it,” the 40-year-old said. “Obviously, it was emotional to come back home for the first time since then, but I really think the first week kind of took a lot of the fears and anxiety of playing out.

And (Thursday), I felt like I played pretty free.”

“If the expectation is winning, then we’re going to celebrate it, but we should expect a win. The next step is expecting to dominate.”

This season, he did not carry an American flag into the packers during pregame introductions, which he did last year.

This time, he carried the early-season hopes of a championship-starved franchise-and delivered. Rodgers was 27-of-35 for 281 passing yards and two touchdowns. He completed eight of his first nine passes to six different receivers.

And he would have passed on carrying a flag this time, he said.

Later in the third, Rodgers rolled to his left, flipped his hips, and completed a pass over the middle of the field to Conklin while taking a hit from Patriots cornerback Alex Austin. Rodgers responded by immediately popping under Austin’s facemask. End

The Jets hadn’t been up by 21 on the Patriots since Oct. 15, 2000, Bill Belichick’s first season coaching in New England. The Jets never have had a quarterback like Rodgers. They finally saw firsthand how much fun that can be.

He saw pressure from the Patriots’ defense on the first play of the second quarter and escaped the pocket left to find wideout Allen Lazard, who broke away for an explosive 27-yard gain. Rodgers was 5-of-5 for 62 yards and a TD when throwing on the run at more than 8 mph, according to Next Gen Stats.

Rodgers knew that extending plays was something he’d have to gradually ramp up as he readjusted to the game speed of the NFL. He felt good from warmups through regulation Thursday.

Head coach Robert Saleh said the mobility Rodgers displayed during training camp was on display for the national television audience.

He might not be what he used to be, but he has still much in his legs,” said Saleh. “His arm is still 30, and his mind is still at such a high level, but he was definitely impressive.

He was then asked if he ever goes back in his mind to the first two years with the Jets when the offense was the main reason why the team went 7-10 in consecutive seasons.

Yeah, I ain’t gonna fake it, man, he said with a chuckle. This is a tremendous opportunity for me and the whole receiver group, all the guys that are on offense, skill position guys, to have fun and go play this game we love and score some points and get up and down this field.

That’s why we play this game. That’s why we play offense. It’s exciting, man.