As the New York Jets gear up for their Week 4 clash against the Denver Broncos, they navigate a frustrating issue. Despite showcasing significant strides in offensive scoring, achieving three touchdowns in three consecutive games for the first time since 1989, the team grapples with persistent clock management issues. Head Coach Robert Saleh has had to call multiple timeouts to avert delay-of-game penalties, particularly evident during this season's second and third weeks.
Saleh acknowledges that these clock management challenges will likely linger throughout the season. He attributes the difficulties to quarterback Aaron Rodgers' playing style, which often involves pushing the play clock to its limits to thoroughly analyze opposing defenses.
“You’d love for it not to be, but that’s part of his superpower. He likes to analyze the defense, and he wants to push the envelope of getting it down as close to zero as he can so he can identify pre-snap what the defense is in so he can operate post-snap to the best of his ability, so if we have to sacrifice a couple of timeouts for Aaron Rodgers to be his best, we’re fine with it.” Saleh Said in a press conference.
Rodgers, when asked, put it more bluntly, stating in a press conference, "That was embarrassing. I got some excuses for sure, but they're not very good. I’ll just leave it at that. That was on me. I felt good week one, we didn’t have any close to that, but this week, we had a couple. Robert (Saleh) saved my ass a couple times. Yeah, it’s frustrating."
With the season still young, Rodgers is still adapting to reading defenses in real time again, these first few weeks being his first real game action since 2022. While Saleh is right about Rodgers cerebral playing style, this has likely been exacerbated by Rodgers not only acclimating to running the Jets offense but also getting all his teammates on the same page. Many contributors on the line and at the offensive skill positions are also new additions, making the learning curve of playing with a mind like Rodgers even more steep.
While frustrating, the only solution is time and chemistry. Looking ahead, there is cautious optimism that the Jets can refine their offensive execution during the extended break before their week four game. While both Saleh and Rodgers are resolute in making the necessary adjustments, the Jets are also prepared to sacrifice timeouts to enable Rodgers to perform at his peak in the interim. Still, as the season unfolds, the emphasis will remain on improving overall efficiency.
While the Jets have made commendable progress in their offensive capabilities, there is still room for improvement, with the ongoing clock management woes representing a prominent hole. That said, it is reassuring that Rodgers and Co are not complacent with their recent success and will continue to refine the little things to keep the offense firing on all cylinders.
