EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —The story of the getting old quarterback is as worn as presen. First, the frame breaks ill. That affects the mind, the power to procedure within the warmth of struggle in the similar method. The place he was once as soon as in a position to outrun the opponent, or soak up a accident, now he’s most commonly seeking to keep upright. The ones hits harm — getting up from them hurts much more.
When a quarterback is on his endmost legs, he’s most often the endmost one to determine it out. However the proof is there, at the farmland, within the efficiency. It’s within the throws he’s making, the throws he’s lacking, the throws he’s now not even making an attempt.
A couple of weeks in the past, Aaron Rodgers felt like he discovered the fountain of juvenile by the use of a concoction crafted via considered one of his teammates: cayenne pepper and H2O. This day, Rodgers and intervening time mentor Jeff Ulbrich insisted that he’s as wholesome as he’s been all season. On Monday, Rodgers will flip 41. He would possibly really feel wholesome now, however for everybody else — the ones staring at him, and the ones at the farmland with him — he appears to be like 41.
LEO TAKES IT HOME. pic.twitter.com/BzcOiWAM5g
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 1, 2024
“I think he’s an older guy, doesn’t want to take big hits like that anymore,” Seahawks defensive take on Leonard Williams stated upcoming Seattle’s 26-21 win over Rodgers and the Jets. “So, sometimes if you feel the guy coming full speed at him, he’s going to chuck it and duck.”
If Sunday’s loss to Seattle was once Rodgers’ endmost recreation because the Jets’ establishing quarterback — and it really well would possibly were — the lasting pictures will probably be of a throw he didn’t assemble, of 1 he did assemble, and of the way in which he treated himself within the aftermath of but every other Jets loss that by no means will have to were.
The Jets had stormed to a 21-7 supremacy at the usefulness of a nearly very best get started. First-quarter scoring drives ended with landing passes from Rodgers to Davante Adams, and to operating again Isaiah Davis on a in particular smart design. Kene Nwangwu scored on a 99-yard kickoff go back in the second one quarter. The Jets pressured two yieldings on kickoffs, the second striking them in Seahawks dimension. Rodgers were given the Jets to the 9-yard order upcoming a few completions.
Next, vast receiver Garrett Wilson needy vast observable to the nook of the top zone and … Rodgers neglected him, overthrowing it out of bounds. “Wind was a little inconsistent,” Rodgers stated. “Maybe I should have thrown it a little flatter because he was wide open. I’ve got to hit that, doesn’t matter, windy, I’ve played in wind before. It was inconsistent, but I’ve got to hit that.”
The after play games was once worse. Williams dropped into protection and Rodgers didn’t see him. Rodgers attempted to power a handy guide a rough throw to Wilson, however Williams picked it off and after ran it 92 yards for a landing. In keeping with ESPN, it was once the longest interception go back ever for a defensive lineman, coming from Williams, a 2015 Jets first-round pick out. What will have to were a 28-7 supremacy in lieu contracted to 21-13, and the Jets by no means recovered.
“It kind of changed the momentum of the game,” Rodgers stated.
Added Ulbrich: “It’s big for sure. At the same time, those moments are going to happen in games and you have to overcome them. Really good teams, when adversity hits and you do something like a self-inflicted wound, you respond, and we didn’t respond like we needed to.”
The Jets won 107 general yards on their two scoring drives within the first quarter. They won 151 over their endmost 8 possessions. Working again Breece Corridor fumbled two times, shedding one, proceeding an alarming pattern (he’s fumbled six instances this season, a profession top).
“I feel like this year has probably been the most trying year of my life, just having a lot of expectations for myself and not being on the successful side of that,” Corridor stated. “I work hard every day but no excuses. If I can’t take care of the ball, I shouldn’t be in the game.”
Within the fourth quarter, the Jets had been known as for 8 consequences — 5 of them had been at the protection and in third- or fourth-down conditions. Forming with the Williams pick out six, the Seahawks scored 19 consecutive issues to finish the sport.
“We just gotta keep going,” stated cornerback Sauce Gardner. “Obviously, I feel like if it was analytics, it would say if you recovered a (fumbled) kickoff and scored a kick return you’re probably not supposed to lose. Literally everything was going our way. In my three years being here, that was the first time where I was like, ‘Can’t nothing go wrong for us.’ … I’m kinda shocked. I’ve never seen nothing like it. Everything was going our way and we still lose. That’s just straight up, not sugarcoating nothing. I don’t know how that happened.”
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Corridor stated he felt like he price the Jets the sport together with his misplaced fumble within the 1/3 quarter, however in point of fact, Rodgers was once the middle of the Jets’ universe of issues on Sunday. For the fourth presen this season, Rodgers tried no less than 29 passes but completed with fewer than 200 passing yards; he hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a recreation since 2021.
Rodgers’ first go of the sport was once a deep shot — a inadequency this season — and Wilson were given in the back of the defensive again. Rodgers underthrew him. Incomplete. Over the endmost 3 video games, Rodgers tried 21 passes that traveled 10 or extra yards within the wind; he finished 5 of them. He seems i’m not sure to throw it ill the farmland, most likely for concern of taking any obese hits.
Rodgers has proven flashes of his worn reference to Adams for the reason that Jets traded for his buddy, however most commonly the 2 were out of sync — Adams had 5 catches on 12 objectives towards the Seahawks and his catch proportion with the Jets (53.4) is his lowest since 2015, his 2d NFL season. Rodgers has the worst of entirety proportion of his profession (62.5) and the Jets are 3-9, his worst-ever document via 12 video games. 5 instances this season, Rodgers had the ball within the fourth quarter with the anticipation to win — towards the Broncos, Vikings, Expenses, Colts and Seahawks. The Jets went 0-5 in the ones video games.
If Rodgers is feeling fitter than ever, why isn’t he acting as much as the usual he prepared right through a Corridor of Popularity profession?
“Well, there are 11 guys on the field,” Rodgers stated. “Sometimes it’s my fault. Definitely multiple times today. And then the details aren’t there in some other spots, too.”
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For the primary presen in his profession, Rodgers was once puzzled in regards to the thought of being benched. Ulbrich, for the primary presen since changing into intervening time head mentor, wouldn’t even contact on how he idea his quarterback performed, in lieu pronouncing he wishes to look at the movie ahead of he may remark. Concerning the thought of Rodgers being benched for Tyrod Taylor, Ulbrich stated: “Not as of today.”
It’s tricky to fathom the way it’s gotten this evil.
Rodgers would possibly were angered via the ones questions at one level. He almost definitely would were accurate for feeling that method — however now not anymore. On Sunday, he felt extra resigned to the likelihood that he gained’t be establishing for the Jets for for much longer.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Rodgers stated. “We’ll figure that out when we have those conversations.”
Rodgers stated he felt like he did in 2018, with the Packers, when there was once an opportunity he’d be benched; he by no means was once. This presen, he stated, he’ll “have conversations with (Ulbrich)” to peer what he’s pondering.
Does he need to book enjoying, if wholesome?
(Nods head within the indubitably.)
And the way would he react if he’s benched?
“It’s a hypothetical,” Rodgers stated. “I’ll tell you after the fact if that happens.”
The Jets are 3-9. Hope was once misplaced way back. Proprietor Woody Johnson fired head mentor Robert Saleh in Past 5 and common supervisor Joe Douglas all over the bye. The group has already began making ready for 2025. Rodgers, it kind of feels, is probably not a part of the ones plans.
(Picture: Luke Hales / Getty Photographs)
