After just 4 snaps and 1 pass attempt on the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers sustained an injury to his ankle after being sacked by Leonard Floyd in the first drive of the game. Rodgers got up right after the play, but he was visibly limping as he was walking back towards his teammates.
Rodgers then shook his head at the athletic trainers and took a seat on the turf, rocking back, and awaiting their arrival. He was clearly in pain. He had to be helped off of the field by the trainers, looking dejected and somewhat frustrated that he was injured this early on.
Zach Wilson took over the next play, while Rodgers was being looked at on the sideline. Wilson completed 2 passes, but couldn’t convert on 3rd down, so the Jets were forced to punt. During the Bills’ next drive, less than 7 minutes into the game, Rodgers was shown exiting the blue medical tent and being placed on a cart to be taken out of the stadium.
The way that Rodgers reacted immediately after the play that he got injured would lead most fans to believe that it was a minor injury. Most observers thought that he would return later that game. Peyton Manning voiced the thoughts of many spectators of the game, saying, “Holy cow, I cannot believe this…I thought we’d go tape it up and get him back in there, come on.” Though it was evident that Rodgers was in some pain, it did not seem like anything major, which makes the situation even more disappointing to Jets fans.
Aaron Rodgers had been talking about the Super Bowl with the Jets for a while, and there was a huge amount of hype around the Jets this year. The Jets 2022 draft picks, Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, both won Rookie Of the Year awards for their outstanding performances in the 2022 regular season. When talking about the Super Bowl, Rodgers said before the season, “I visualize it all the time.” (ESPN)
Jets fans will be left to think about what could have been if Rodgers had remained healthy for the rest of the season. An ESPN video said that there is “pressure on Rodgers to win the Super Bowl in year 1.” Jets fans, and NFL fans, may feel let down by Rodgers, but it should be understood that not all quarterbacks can be as indestructible as Tom Brady. Injuries like this are way more likely for a quarterback like Rodgers, who is 39 years old and will turn 40 in December.
It may seem that all the hype around the Jets has vanished in one play, but this may not be entirely true. The Jets’ defense performed incredibly against the powerful Bills offense, holding them to 16 points and intercepting Josh Allen 3 times. Jordan Whitehead, a safety for the Jets, was an especially bright spot on the Jets team on Monday, September 12, as he had 3 interceptions in one night. This ties for second place the most interceptions in a game in NFL history.
But in order for someone on the Jets to get three interceptions, Josh Allen would have to throw three interceptions. Josh Allen played one of the worst games of his career (bar his rookie season) against the Jets. He had a relatively high completion percentage, but the Jets’ defense only allowed him to throw for 1 touchdown, to Stefon Diggs. Josh Allen and the Bills offense were struggling to make anything happen against the stout Jets defense. The brutal 3 interceptions by Jordan Whitehead contributed to Josh Allen finishing the game with an uncharacteristic 62.7 QBR (Quarterback Rating).
The Jets were able to win the game, but not in the regular 4 quarters. Josh Allen and the Bills managed to drive down and tie the game up with 2 seconds left in the 4th quarter. The Bills were frantically trying to get down the field with very little time to give Tyler Bass, the kicker, a shot at tying up the game. The Bills offense was only able to get down to the Jets’ 32-yard line before they had to turn it over to their special teams and field-goal unit. Tyler Bass’ kick bounced off of the left upright and in between the goal post. The game was sent into overtime.
In overtime, the Bills won the coin toss and chose to receive the ball. They weren’t able to do anything with it though, and went 3-and-out. This drive was somewhat symbolic of the rest of the game for the Bills, with minimal offensive output (at least for the Bills). It was also symbolic of the great efforts defensively by the Jets.
The Bills had to punt, and this is what put the nail in their coffin. Sam Martin kicked a short one to about 15 yards past mid-field, where Xavier Gipson, an undrafted rookie from SFA University in Austin, was waiting. He caught the ball, found the open lane created by his blockers, and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown.
…the Jets’ defense was stellar…
So the Jets were able to win the game with a solid offensive effort by Zach Wilson, but Breece Hall also deserves his credit. The Jets offensive line was only ranked 23rd in the league by Pro Football Focus, but Hall managed to rip off both 27 and 83-yard runs. The 83-yard run was set up by Josh Allen throwing an interception at the Jets’ 4-yard line. On the very first play of the drive, Breece Hall found a hole after breaking a tackle at the line of scrimmage and making a move on Jordan Poyer when he breached the secondary. He eventually ran out of steam, but the run got the Jets into field-goal range so they could tie up the game.
So the Jets’ defense was stellar, their run game was on point, and the receiving corps is up there with the top teams in the NFL. They were able to knock off the resilient Bills who finished 13-3 last season, and this put a statement out to the rest of the league: the Jets are legitimate contenders even without Rodgers. It would be a mistake to say that the Jets’ season is done, as just about every part of their team is elite.
The only question mark is if Zach Wilson will be too much of a detriment to the team for them to win. With Aaron Rodgers as his mentor though, and a great receiving corps, Wilson is in a position to excel. Jets fans and other NFL fans may have lost faith in him after his miserable 2022 season, riddled with injury and disappointment, but he has gained trust from his team, and confidence in himself. The Jets’ future is still bright for 2023.
