Aaron Rodgers reintroduced himself to New York Jets fans in stunning fashion with Thursday’s 24-3 win over the rival New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium.
The celebrated quarterback who arrived in 2023 as a franchise savior, only to suffer a season-ending injury within his first four snaps, remained upright in Thursday’s home opener. And in doing so, he picked apart a Patriots secondary while reminding Jets fans, teammates, coaches and executives why there was so much excitement surrounding his arrival one year ago.
The moment was almost too much for head coach Robert Saleh, who presumptively tried to hug Rodgers after the Jets’ second touchdown of the evening, only to be forcefully rebuffed by the four-time MVP.
‘No it wasn’t awkward at all,’ Rodgers said afterwards, struggling to explain the celebratory mishap. ‘He’s not a big hugger usually. So I didn’t know he was going for the hug. He likes to do the two-hand chest push as well.’
New York’s reinforced offensive line withstood an improved New England pass rush, the Jets’ formidable defense pummeled an overmatched Patriots offensive line, and Rodgers took care of everything else, completing 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers scrambles against the New England Patriots during the second quarter
Saleh came on a little too strong in the second quarter as his hug was refused by Rodgers
Rodgers didn’t bother recreating his 2023 entrance, when he triumphantly led his new Jets teammates onto the MetLife Stadium turf with an American flag in hand.
‘I was hoping not to make a decision about whether to carry a flag or not,’ he said.
For that matter, neither did he suffer a torn Achilles as he did 51 weeks earlier.
Instead of those dizzying highs and crushing lows, Rodgers simply moved the chains from the opening snap. He completed a five-yard pass to Garrett Wilson on the first play from scrimmage before evading the Patriots pass rush for an easy five-yard scramble on second down.
Two snaps later, Rodgers got another first down by throwing an 11-yard strike to Allen Lazard, a receiver who defected from Green Bay to the Garden State with the quarterback in 2023.
Eventually a holding penalty forced the Jets into an obvious passing situation, thereby allowing the Patriots’ pass rush to focus on Rodgers, resulting in an easy sack for Deatrich Wise Jr.
But unlike a year ago, when Rodgers’ season ended on the very first sack, the 40-year-old playing in his third game in 11 days survived to see another series — and this one would end with a 10-yard scoring pass to Lazard, who quick gifted the ball back to the his quarterback.
‘I’m not sure if he had that in his mind,’ Rodgers said. ‘But I’ll take it. Thanks Allen.’
It may have taken 514 days since he was first acquired, but Rodgers had finally tossed a touchdown in front of the home fans, all of whom became deliriously intoxicated with the excitement.
By the his first two quarters, Rodgers had completed 15 of 20 passes — mostly on the seams of the Patriots porous coverage — for 170 yards and a touchdown.
And he may have been even better in the second as his name began to be chanted by the Jets faithful.
‘It was a really special night,’ he said. ‘All those chants are really meaningful.’
Rodgers would add a second touchdown pass in the third quarter, finding Wilson for a two-yard toss at the goal line to cap an 11-play drive.
The play was significant, not only because it extended the Jets’ lead, but because Wilson had been the primary focus of opposing defenses over the first three weeks of the season. By distributing the ball evenly on Thursday (eight Jets had at least two receptions), Rodgers spread the Patriots coverage thin enough to reconnect with his top target.
‘The entire focus of all three defenses we played have been taking Garrett away,’ Rodgers said afterwards, explaining that Wilson typically faces opponents’ top cornerbacks as well as double teams.
Wilson doubled his season total with five receptions on Thursday.
Perhaps best of all, Rodgers looked and felt healthy enough to extend plays with his feet and absorb hits when he had to.
‘The first time he ran I started laughing,’ Jets running back Breece Hall said afterwards. ‘I was like: ”You’re crazy, man.”’
Rodgers finished the game with three carries for 18 yards, while taking a pair of sacks. And when he was laid out along the sideline — where he admittedly should have just stepped out of bounds — Rodgers was almost immediately back on his feet.
‘I am 40 and there are really fast guys in this league,’ he said. ‘I got to finish the play out of bounds.’