Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17 in Week 2 to move to 1-1. Despite injury concerns and a poor first half, Rodgers threw for two touchdowns and 176 yards in the first victory of the season. When asked about his first win as a Jet, Rodgers gave a quippy response to Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
“Aaron Rodgers on his first win as a Jet: ‘Technically my second,'” Rosenblatt posted on social media.
The quarterback is talking about the opening game where he tore his Achilles last season. The Jets pulled out an unlikely victory on a walk-off punt return touchdown by Xavier Gipson. Rodgers suffered the injury on the fourth play of the game and the rest was quarterbacked by Zach Wilson. He is technically correct, as Football Reference has his record from 2023 listed as 1-0.
The Week 2 win over the Titans was the first game that Rodgers started and finished as a member of the Jets. He was removed in favor of Tyrod Taylor in Week 1 because the 49ers were blowing out New York. The 40-year-old led the game-winning touchdown drive, which ended in Braelon Allen’s second touchdown of the afternoon.
The Jets’ offense got off to a slow start, allowing the Titans to take a 7-0 first-quarter lead. Rodgers and crew must figure out how to get off to quick starts soon, as they play on Thursday Night Football in Week 3.
Aaron Rodgers and the Jets must figure out the offense soon
The Jets have a stout defense that, when at full strength, can win games for the team. They allowed 21 points per game last season, meaning that 24 should be enough to win most games. There are mounting injury concerns on defense that could push Rodgers into the spotlight even more.
DJ Reed, their second cornerback, missed the game with a sore knee. Starting linebacker CJ Mosley and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II both left the game with leg injuries. Head coach Robert Saleh said he believes that Johnson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Without these three players, especially Johnson amid the Haason Reddick drama, the defense will not pack the same punch as last year.
Despite the lackluster first half, the Jets offense did start to build something in the second half. The emergence of Allen is especially key as a change-of-pace player who can spell Hall during long drives. He is the youngest player in the league but did not play like that on Sunday, scoring two touchdowns.
The Jets play on Thursday against their hated rivals, the New England Patriots. While this is expected to be a down season for the Patriots, they have shown a lot of resolve in the first two weeks, beating the Bengals and almost upsetting the Seahawks. The Jets have not swept the Patriots in a season since 2000. To win the division, they must take both games from New England. That starts on Thursday.
Aaron Rodgers, technically speaking, won his second game as a member of the Jets in Week 2 against the Titans. To get his second wire-to-wire victory, the offense must fix some major problems before Thursday night against the Patriots.
