Against the Patriots, the New York Jets are Favored by 7 and Should Win by a Comfortable Margin
The New York Jets play the New England Patriots this Sunday at 1:00 P.M. EDT. The Jets are currently favored by 7.0 points, with an over/under at 40.5 points and a 71.2 percent chance of winning this Sunday. Lets face it, the New England Patriots are a BAD football team. Even their head coach, Jerod Mayo, came out publicly and said so:
“We are a soft football team across the board….Look, back to the drawing board…our run game just hasn’t been able to do anything…and defensively we just gotta play better…”
For a discussion of the Patriots’ woes, please see my earlier article.
Are the New York Jets a Bad Football Team?
Well, the fact is, they don’t pass blocks very well. Aaron Rodgers has only completed 158 passes out of 256 attempts for 1663 yards. He has been sacked 17 times and thrown seven interceptions to date. The blocking in the running game isn’t much better. The Jets have only achieved 577 total rushing yards on 149 attempts. The New York Jets offense ranks 23 in total offensive yards. with 2,246.
Another fact is that the New York Jets version of Rodgers has been turning the ball over a lot more than his younger iteration did. In 64 games, in the four seasons just before coming to the Jets, Rodgers threw only 15 interceptions. He has now thrown 19 interceptions in his last 24 games, seven interceptions this year.
The defense has 471 total tackles, 21 sacks, 25 pass deflections, two interceptions, four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. But the defense suddenly became quite porous in the last two weeks, starting right around the time Robert Saleh was terminated. Saleh was a defensive Guru. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they allowed 409 total yards, 260 yards passing, and 149 yards rushing. They had no interceptions, no fumble recoveries, and only one sack.
Rodgers has identified the problem as one of no “joy”: When asked how he thought the team was playing he replied:
“With too much anger and not enough enjoyment”
Maybe that’s true, but they have no one to be angry at, other than themselves
Is Aaron Rodgers Playing the “Blame Game”
New York is the home of Broadway and therefore known for its “drama”. But the Jets play in New Jersey, at The Meadowlands! Did Rodgers bring the drama with him from Green Bay to New York?
Rodgers had a lot of team issues in Green Bay, especially toward the end. He seemed from outward appearances to resent his upcoming replacement, Jordan Love. In fact, he was not much of a team player and was known for yelling at his receivers for missed assignments or dropped balls. (See here)
But appears Rodgers may have brought some of his attitude with him to the New York Jets locker room. Rumors still circulate that Aaron has not changed for the better, with the Jets.
On the Pat McAfee Show of September 24, 2024, a report was discussed which stated the Jets’ locker room was in complete turmoil:
“There is complete and utter disarray over there. Look at how they’ve handled Aaron Rodgers Has one player had more power than him? He skipped minicamp. They have been unable to convert him to a team player. The vibe inside the building is terrible.” (S/A Ben Standig for the Athletic)
Back on September 24, 2024, on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers attempted to debunk Standig’s report, stating about his teammates:
“We really do care about each other and we enjoy spending time with one another. We create an environment where there’s a lot of conversation, a lot of back-and-forth, There’s a lot of time, you know, for important conversations to show up on the field, and then there’s time for us to get to know each other, and then there’s time spent outside the building that allows us to come together. So I’m really thankful for the environment that Coach Saleh has brought to it…” (Aaron Rodgers, The Pat McAfee Show, 09/24/2024)
But now Coach Saleh is gone and the question arises as to whether or not Rogers is still with the team…mentally.
Certainly, his initial take given after the Buffalo Bills played on Monday night, October 14th, did not demonstrate that Rodgers was a “Team Player”. In that post-game interview, Rodgers stated the interception he threw late in the game with 2:01 left on the clock, was caused by his receiver, Mike Williams, running the wrong pass route.
“There’s two verticals, you know…I’m throwing “no look” to the redline. And when I just peek my eyes back there, he’s (Williams) running a breaker. So, um…it’s gotta be down the redline…I was throwing to the redline, but when I got to about here, I realized he was running a breaker…so I had to kinda adjust it a little bit. But, the play is two guys vertical; one guy down the seam, one guy on the redline.
Of note, the “redline” is located about 4-5 yards from the sideline. That brings up another issue. Rogers stated he saw that Williams was running an “end breaker” and was not where Williams should have been. So that means Rodgers tried to force the ball through to hit Williams on the breaker route…a low percentage completion attempt…and he failed.
Now it’s easy to sit there and play “Tuesday Morning Quarterback” and criticize Rodgers…but I’m gonna do it anyway. Instead of forcing the throw in there, he could have thrown the ball out to the redline, as the video shows Williams appeared to be headed over there. Rodgers also could have checked down to Breece Hall, who was five yards away from him and wide open with no defenders within 10 yards of him.
As John Gruden once said, in Gruden’s Quarterback School:
“It’s always the quarterback’s fault. He should never blame the receiver.”
This axiom apparently didn’t apply to Rodgers, at least during the post-game press conference after the Jets/ Bills game.
But, this past week, Rodgers threw an interception late in the first half of the game against the Steelers. But this time, on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers accepted the blame and said he made a “poor decision”.
“I’m disappointed in the pick, because I feel like the first pick, that changed the whole momentum…that was a bad decision. I should have just dumped it off.”
Perhaps Aaron Rodgers has learned his lesson from the Bills’ press conference or from a review of John Gruden’s maxims. Just yesterday,(10/23), Rodgers took accountability for that interception at the end of the Bills game.
But there are still those who believe Aaron should have taken the blame a week ago. Many claim Rodgers is running out of excuses for both the Jets and his own poor performances. Many now believe there is no one left for Rodgers to blame… but Aaron Rodgers. This game against the Patriots is a must-win for Aaron and the Jets. There is no way they can lose, as a loss will surely darken their playoff chances. We shall see which version of Aaron Rodgers shows up to play the Patriots.
New York Jets’ Owner, Woody Johnson, Will Seek a New #1 Quarterback in the Draft
The Patriots game could be more critical for Aaron Rodgers than many people realize. On October 23, rumors abounded, that New York Jets owner, Woody Johnson will seek a new #1 quarterback in the 2025 draft. This move, given Rodgers’ age and slipping stats, quite frankly, seems logical.
Johnson is not beyond firing anyone. Despite Rodgers being under contract through 2025, signing a $112,500,000.00 contract with $75,000,000.00 guaranteed, firing Aaron is not out of character for Johnson. Just look at what he did to Robert Saleh.
The New York Jets may be starting to realize that Aaron Rodgers is getting old. He has been described as prickly and he is fraught with Injuries. Yesterday it was announced, on the Jets daily injury report, that Aaron is now nursing a hamstring injury to go along with his previous knee and ankle injuries. Rodgers is reported to also suffer from diabetes, type 1. While the Jets can fix their quarterback issues either through the draft, what happens to future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers?
The Market for Rodgers Will be Thin if the New York Jets Move On to a Draft QB
Let’s face it, if Aaron Rodgers is discarded by the Jets in favor of a college draft pick or younger free agent, his prospects of landing with a good football club are not looking spectacular, to say the least. The market was thin for Tom Brady, the Greatest Of All Time, who was in uncanny health for his age. Brady’s only solid takers were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers. (Brady, of course, won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) With Rogers’ injuries this year, and his long history of injuries, his market will be “damn near invisible”.
But Rogers has three things going in his favor:
1.) The 2025 draft has a soft quarterback class this upcoming year. (Not counting Shedeur Sanders);
2.) If he is cut, he still is likely to receive the balance owed on his guaranteed money; and
3.) He can always submit his resume to host “Jeopardy”.
Bottom line for Aaron Rogers? He better play well and the New York Jets better win against New England, particularly given his likely options.
Follow me on X at @Bellylander.
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