The New York Jets dropped to 2-6 on Sunday with a heartbreaking 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots. If Jets fans weren't already panicked, Sunday's stunner was enough to push anybody over the edge. The Patriots are bad — probably the worst team in football — and Drake Maye left the game early with an injury, leaving backup QB Jacoby Brissett in charge for the second half.
To still lose is an indictment on the entire Jets organization, top to bottom. The players, the coaches, the front office, ownership. Nobody is safe from criticism at this point. That said, with Robert Saleh already out the door, the focus has naturally shifted to 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who was supposed to lead New York out of this vicious cycle of mediocrity.
Unfortunately Rodgers, a little more than a year removed from a ruptured Achilles, doesn't appear to have the same stuff he once did. The four-time MVP has always been a master of manipulation, reading the field at light speed and using every trick in the book — his eyes, his voice, his footwork, his throwing angle — to befuddle the defense and pass open his receivers.
Rodgers' football IQ has not waned, and he is objectively the best Jets quarterback in years. But that is an unfortunately low bar, and the top-shelf athleticism that once pushed Rodgers over the top has abandoned him.
Don't take my word for it. His opponents are thinking the same thing.
Patriots' Davon Godchaux calls out Aaron Rodgers after Jets stinker
Patriots DT Davon Godchaux was remarkably candid in his postgame interview, saying Rodgers does not "look the same."
“Hall of Fame quarterback. Hate to see him go out that way," Godchaux said. "He definitely don’t look the same. He kept moving back there — s*** I could run him down and catch him. He don’t look mobile at all. That’s good for us.”
Mobility is a key attribute for any quarterback, but Rodgers has always been especially effective with his legs. That's not to say Rodgers is a dual-threat quarterback in the style of Lamar Jackson, but at his peak, Rodgers was excellent at extending plays and finding unique angles to throw on the move.
That hasn't entirely left his game, but Rodgers looks much stiffer trying to navigate pressure these days. He took just one sack on Sunday, but Rodgers has notably recorded zero rushing yards in the last four weeks. He is caged in the pocket and crumbling under the weight of even semi-effective pass rushes.
Through eight weeks, Rodgers has completed 61.6 percent of his passes, which would be a new career low. He has 12 touchdowns, but seven interceptions, and his yards per attempt (6.7) is also pushing career-worst territory.
The Jets traded for Davante Adams, Rodgers' longtime BFF and his most accomplished former running mate at wide receiver. Even that has not elevated the Jets out of this stupor.
New York faces the Houston Texans on a short week this Halloween, which should sufficiently spook fans. That game has 2-7 all over it. At that point, what can the Jets even do? This season is dangerously close to lost, and Rodgers doesn't have much time left in the NFL. New York is once again finding a new and creative way to fall apart at the seams.
