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Aaron Rodgers’ first performance back at MetLife Stadium since tearing his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season was a vintage one.
Flashing the same mobility and accuracy that helped him win four MVP awards, Rodgers fueled the New York Jets to a 24-3 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night as the Jets picked up their second win of the season. The 40-year-old posted a 118.9 passer rating Thursday night while his defense limited New England to just 2.9 yards per play.
Long after fans began chanting Rodgers’ name in the third quarter, the Patriots opted to play rookie quarterback Drake Maye in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter with the game far out of hand. The third overall pick made his debut with just over four minutes to play.
The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt and Chad Graff break down the key takeaways.
Rodgers celebrates with Allen Lazard after a first-quarter touchdown. (Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images)
Peak Rodgers on display
That was vintage Aaron Rodgers. The 40-year-old didn’t look like a 40-year-old — especially all three times he got out on the move — twice for first downs. Rodgers was thriving in the pocket getting rid of the ball quickly — but also somehow managed to dominate even when the Patriots brought pressure.
Robert Saleh on Aaron Rodgers mobility: “He may not be what he used to be but he has plenty in those legs.”
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) September 20, 2024
The Jets came out firing on offense, throwing it nearly every play on their first possession. That drive was disrupted by a poorly timed holding penalty which thwarted any shot at scoring points. But unlike in past years, the Jets rebounded quickly and the Rodgers-led offense dominated the first half.
For the third straight game, the Jets scored at least three touchdowns — something they only accomplished in two games in all of 2023. The ceiling for this Jets team is much higher when Rodgers is dealing like this, especially with a much-improved offensive line and a group of weapons that is better than what the Jets have deployed in a long time. — Zack Rosenblatt, Jets beat writer
Much needed showing for New York’s defense
After a couple weeks of inconsistent defensive play — especially on the defensive line — Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich cooked up a clever gameplan that left the Patriots stumped.
New England’s offensive line might be one of the worst in the NFL, but the Jets still needed to show they could dominate up front against an inferior opponent, and that’s exactly what they did.
Ulbrich blitzed more on Thursday than he has for most of his tenure at defensive coordinator and defensive end Will McDonald helped the Jets feel a little better about losing Jermaine Johnson — and Haason Reddick’s absence — with a stellar first half performance. Through three quarters, the Patriots only had 118 yards of offense. A few minutes into the fourth quarter, that actually dropped down to 85 net yards. It didn’t get much better from there. The Jets might not face an offense as bad as the Patriots again this year — but the Jets haven’t always beaten up on opponents they should’ve in past years. They did Thursday. — Rosenblatt
How did Maye look?
The Patriots had been cautious with Maye, not wanting to put their prized rookie quarterback on the field with a poor supporting cast.
But in a blowout loss, the plan changed.
Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft, made his NFL debut in garbage time Thursday night, entering with just over four minutes to play. He completed 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards, and, like Jacoby Brissett, was constantly under pressure. Maye was sacked twice on his lone drive.
His first pass was nearly intercepted and his second dropback ended with a big hit on a scramble. But Maye settled in after that and improved with some short completions. The 46-yard drive he led was the team’s second longest of the night. — Chad Graff, Patriots beat writer
Patriots have serious protection issues
It’s going to be hard for the Patriots to have even a semblance of a functional offense behind the O-line they’ve constructed.
Both coach Jerod Mayo and de facto GM Eliot Wolf spent weeks leading into the season insisting that there were no concerns over the offensive line and all proclaiming that all the talk of problems there were way overblown.
Now, three weeks in, there’s not a bigger concern for the Patriots. The front five was so bad Thursday night that Brissett was hit on nearly half of his dropbacks. The group entered the game ranked 31st in pressure rate allowed, and they may become the new last place team after this performance.
What’s maddening about it is how predictable it was. The Patriots had a terrible offensive line last year, then only tried to fix it by signing journeymen Vederian Lowe and Chukwuma Okorafor and drafting a right tackle in the third round (Caedan Wallace) to play left tackle.
It’s been a total and complete disaster. — Graff
Pats struggle to tackle
The Patriots’ defense was supposed to be their backbone. Perhaps that’s what makes Thursday such a catastrophe for the Patriots. It’s not surprising that the offense stunk or the O-line had issues, but the area the Pats were confident in was a total mess.
They lost sure-tackling linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley to a torn pectoral muscle earlier in the week, and without him on the field the Pats somehow couldn’t tackle anyone.
They missed more than a dozen tackles and got totally shredded in every aspect. This is going to be a big test for Mayo, an early bit of adversity for him in trying to fix his prized defense – especially since up next is a trip to the San Francisco 49ers. — Graff
Required reading
(Photo: Robert Deutsch / Imagn Images)
