FOXBORO, Cluster. — Aaron Rodgers stood on the lectern, sullen, the brim of his hat casting a shade over his ocular. It’s juiceless to look within the lightless.
Two years in the past, in the similar room, Zach Wilson sat within the again, ready his flip as then-Untouched York Jets schoolteacher Robert Saleh was once peppered with questions in regards to the second-year quarterback then an embarrassing 10-3 loss to the Untouched England Patriots. When Wilson stepped as much as that very same lectern, he sealed his destiny. Requested if he felt like he let the protection ill because of his broke play games: “No,” he stated, “no.” His teammates have been disappointed. Wilson was once benched a moment nearest. It was once the Jets’ first step on a trail that has led them to this week, with Rodgers, and this darkness.
At that week with Wilson two years in the past, the Jets have been 6-4. They’d hope. At this week, they’re void of it. At the same time as their season tumbled into distress, Sunday’s highway match towards the suffering Patriots was once intended to be a respite. Rather, they misplaced 25-22 then a sequence of extreme moments, mess-ups and humiliations. It was once wicked from the start, but it surely nonetheless by no means felt like they’d lose this match. They couldn’t. Till they did.
.@dreeday32 WITH 22 SECONDS LEFT
: CBS pic.twitter.com/QTUC4h6w6p
— Untouched England Patriots (@Patriots) October 27, 2024
In a while, period in-between schoolteacher Jeff Ulbrich — promoted to be the captain of the Titanic simply because it was once about to hit the iceberg — summed up this week in becoming phrases, particularly taking into consideration who’s enjoying quarterback: “This is a moment of darkness.”
In February 2023, Rodgers went right into a darkness retreat in Oregon for a couple of days, disconnecting from the arena, and from daylight, to seek out some inside pleasure. He stated then that he fell into the darkness 90 p.c yes he would vacate. When he got here out, he declared he sought after to be a Untouched York Jet. Endmost 12 months, he tore his Achilles 4 performs into the season and it felt just like the Jets fell aside with out him — however that crew, with Wilson at quarterback, was once 4-3 then seven video games, and 4-4 then 8. This 12 months’s Jets are 2-6 then dropping to the Patriots, with a match towards the 6-2 Houston Texans approaching Thursday evening, in entrance of a sure-to-be sparse MetLife Stadium people.
Those are the Twilight Ages.
“Yeah, I’ve been in the darkness,” Rodgers stated. “You’ve got to go in there, make peace with it.”
What Rodgers is lacking: He simply followed the darkness. The Jets, and its lovers, have been born in it, molded by way of it. It’s all they’ve ever recognized. And but this seems like one thing unused, like this group has fallen right into a unused pit of depression underneath the only it already lived in.
“We understand that the outside world is going to get really loud right now,” Ulbrich stated. “But the only thing I know in life is that when it gets dark and it gets hard, that you work and you point the finger at yourself and you look inward and you figure out, What can I do better from an individual standpoint. If we do that collectively, which I believe we will, that’s your only opportunity to dig yourself out of this. That’s your only opportunity to improve and fix some of these wrongs. That’s where we’re fortunate, that the character of this locker room, I think they’re going to demonstrate who they are.”
A counter to that time got here from Ulbrich’s mouth previous in the similar information convention: “We say that’s not who we are, but it’s who we are until we demonstrate otherwise.”
The Patriots gained on the target series on fourth-and-goal. (David Butler II / Imagn Photographs)
Endmost moment, the Jets went up 15-6 at the Steelers and nearest misplaced 37-15. Then the sport, huge receiver Davante Adams stand in entrance of the crew and made a pronunciation, a daring selection for somebody who had simply arrived by means of industry 5 days previous. He derided his teammates for a inadequency of power, for no longer celebrating each and every alternative’s victories, and for the wish to alternate the tradition of dropping that’s pervaded this group for a protracted generation. A couple of days nearest, Rodgers referred to as it the “realest” postgame pronunciation he’d heard in two decades as an NFL quarterback. Adams declared it a hit. Ulbrich raved about it for days, and nearest stated on Friday that the Jets had the “best week of practice” they’ve had since he joined the group in 2021.
Because it seems, Adams’ pronunciation was once not anything greater than phrases, spoken from somebody who handiest in reality is aware of about his unused crew in the course of the tales his buddy (Rodgers) has informed him.
Adams’ phrases gained’t cancel Rodgers from ageing, a descent into inadequacy and eventual leaving. Rodgers threw two landing passes on Sunday, and deny interceptions, however no one walked out of Gillette on Sunday pondering that was once the Rodgers they remembered. Those have been the Jets they remembered.
“Hate to see him go out that way,” stated Patriots defensive take on Davon Godchaux. “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.”
Rodgers and the offense began their first power in Patriots length then Xavier Gipson returned a punt 40 yards. Right here’s what took place then that: Rodgers finished a go to Jeremy Ruckert that misplaced a courtyard. Operating again Breece Corridor received 8 yards on a elevate. The Jets referred to as timeout to keep away from a extend of match penalty — a routine factor all season that was once at its worst on Sunday — as huge receiver Mike Williams couldn’t determine the place to series up. After, Corridor dropped a Rodgers go. On fourth-and-3, the Jets have been referred to as for extend of match, and nearest punted.
The Patriots grew to become round and scored on their nearest power, capped by way of a 17-yard scramble by way of rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The Jets got here proper again and scored on their moment power — and but it by hook or by crook felt worse than the outlet three-and-out.
Rodgers neglected Adams on a throw, however the Patriots have been referred to as for go interference. He neglected Adams once more, Braelon Allen was once crammed for a 1-yard acquire, and nearest Rodgers threw any other incompletion meant for Adams, however the Patriots have been referred to as for go interference once more. A 7-yard of completion to Adams were given the Jets to the 15-yard series. And nearest they referred to as timeout. Heart Joe Tippmann fumbled the nearest snap, however Rodgers grabbed it and passed it off to Allen, who received 3 yards.
And nearest: Timeout, once more. The Jets burned all 3 in their timeouts prior to the tip of the primary quarter. The Patriots have been nearest referred to as for any other go interference prior to Rodgers closed out the power with a 2-yard landing go to Tyler Conklin.
Kicker Greg Zuerlein neglected the excess level. Upcoming, within the fourth quarter, he neglected a 44-yard garden target, 4 issues that will have made a plethora residue. The Jets misplaced for plenty of causes alternative than Zuerlein’s struggles, that have continued all season (he neglected a possible game-winning 50-yard garden target towards the Denver Broncos in While 4 and has made handiest 60 p.c of his garden objectives this season), regardless that Ulbrich stated he doesn’t be apologetic about sticking together with his kicker.
“The NFL is hard. Hard to win. Harder when you make it difficult on yourself,” Rodgers stated. “Offensively we can’t worry about what else happens. We gotta be efficient. We gotta make the most of the opportunities. We can’t leave it up to — we gotta score touchdowns. We can’t leave it up to Greg or try to pin it on Greg. We had a lot of opportunities to score 30 and make it a two-score game and didn’t do it.”
Maye performed yet one more power and nearest didn’t go back then struggling a concussion, changed by way of Jacoby Brissett, who was once benched in partiality of the rookie then While 4. Then halftime, the Jets allowed a 62-yard punt go back from Marcus Jones to arrange a handy guide a rough landing power, helped by way of broke tackling — and broke protection — by way of the Jets protection. Even because the Patriots stored seeking to hand the sport again to the Jets, particularly by means of consequences (5 for fifty yards general) and drops (TruMedia dinged Untouched England for 4 drops, regardless that it felt like extra), Untouched York didn’t wish to whip it from them.
Adams was once incessantly undercover: 4 catches (on six goals) for 54 yards. The Jets have been 4 of 10 on 0.33 ill and from time to time were given clear of giving the ball to Corridor even if he was once thriving (80 speeding yards on 16 carries) and rookie Braelon Allen (32 yards on 12 carries) was once suffering. Allen ran for a 2-yard landing within the fourth quarter, giving the Jets a five-point supremacy. Covered up for the two-point conversion, Rodgers was once referred to as for a extend of match penalty. Subsidized up 5 yards, he neglected at the throw.
In regards to the problems getting performs off in generation, Rodgers stated: “There’s a lot to look at.”
“Frustrating,” Corridor stated. “Another game of shooting ourselves in the foot. Offensively we had to do a better job of getting in and out of the huddle. Let Aaron be Aaron, give him time to see the defense and make his adjustments. I gotta play better personally, I felt like I still left some meat on the bone out there. It’s frustrating. This one hurt because we shouldn’t be losing this game.”
Then the failed two-point attempt, Brissett labored the Patriots up the garden, scrambling for a 14-yard acquire on third-and-long at one level, and a couple of performs nearest — once more on third-and-long — finishing a 34-yard go to huge receiver Kayshon Boutte, who made a sliding catch in entrance of famous person cornerback Sauce Gardner, surroundings the Patriots up with a first-and-goal.
.@JBrissett12 threading it to @KayshonBoutte1
: CBS pic.twitter.com/oAgSg7YsTS
— Untouched England Patriots (@Patriots) October 27, 2024
“It is hard to believe, man,” Gardner stated. “Obviously, I’m still stuck on that play, because like, I just know, like, that’s a play that can be made. That’s on me.”
On third-and-goal from the 5, Boutte were given inside of D.J. Reed on a slant, dominated ill simply out of doors the tip zone. Rhamondre Stevenson transformed on fourth-and-goal.
The Jets didn’t flip the ball over, held the Patriots to 247 yards of offense, scored 22 issues and nonetheless misplaced. Till Sunday, groups that checked the ones 3 statistical fields had won 756 consecutive games.
The end result stored a distinct streak alive: 5 consecutive losses for the Jets, a week that’s too lightless to in all probability see a week for this crew.
(Manage photograph: David Butler II / Imagn Photographs)
