The New York Jets expected great things when Aaron Rodgers and the offense took the field in their first game of the 2024 NFL season. Nearly a year after tearing his Achilles in Week One of the 2023 season, Rodgers was back at full strength with no limitations. Fans and analysts were all expecting, or at least hoping for, some vintage Rodgers.
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And while there were some great moments from the four-time NFL MVP, he and the offense as a whole sputtered out of the gate. Combined with the Jets’ defense completely disappearing, it made for a long and frustrating night.
New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Offense Struggled
Rodgers ended his night having completed 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. There were times that he and the offense looked brilliant, like when he got the 49ers defense to jump offsides and threw a touchdown pass to Allen Lazard on one of his signature free plays.
However, the team seemed disjointed for much of the night. Rodgers’ first pass since tearing his Achilles last year was dropped by Lazard on the first third down of the game, forcing a New York punt. When they got the ball back, Rodgers’ second pass was caught and then fumbled by running back Breece Hall.
In total, the Jets had the ball for just over 21 minutes. No Rodgers-led team has ever had the ball for a shorter amount of time. They simply could not sustain very many drives in their 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Addressed the Team’s Poor Performance
After the game was over, Rodgers was fairly blunt (as he always is) about his performance, as well as the shortcomings of the offense in general. He knows that this team is under pressure to win now, and that games like this one are simply inexcusable:
“We expect greatness when we step on the field. There were moments that felt really good, but not sustained. We felt like if we could just get a first down, we’d be rolling. We had those three-and-outs, which really hurt us. I think a lot of stuff is correctable, which is great for coaches but frustrating for players.
“We know how close we were/are, but there’s no time for that. We’re going to move on to Tennessee quickly and then we’ve got a game four days after that. This is a tough opener for us, travel-wise and schedule-wise, but no excuses. We have to play better. I have to play better. We’ll bounce back next week.”
“There’s no time for that” is a testament to the urgency in New York to put a winning product on the field. Before the season began, Rodgers admitted that if he does not play well, he could be out of a job next season.
It is also noteworthy that the only player that Rodgers called out specifically was himself. For all of the talk during the offseason from certain analysts that the future Hall of Famer does not care about his teammates, he was pretty gracious in his description of the offense after the game. From dropped passes to blown assignments on the offensive line, there was plenty that went wrong.
Yes, Rodgers needs to play better; but so does everyone else around him. And if they do not, or cannot, that is more of an indictment on general manager Joe Douglas than anyone else.
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