Aaron Rodgers unleashes his mobility in the Jets' crushing victory over the Patriots and shows that the Achilles injury is no longer an issue
Aaron Rodgers could have regained his arroganceThe New York Jets quarterback put on a vintage performance in the team’s 24-3 blowout win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night. Stepping onto the MetLife Stadium field for the first regular-season game since suffering that infamous Achilles tear just four plays into his 2023 season, Rodgers looked like, well, Aaron Rodgers.
The four times National Football League (NFL) MVP had his best performance of the young season, completing 27 of his 35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers are impressive on their own, but the way Rodgers performed on the field, particularly his mobility, was what stood out and showed how high New York's potential is with him under center.
“I felt pretty good tonight,” Rodgers said. Prime Video's Kaylee Hartung after the game“I was doing some things I did when I was younger. I've said as the games go on, I'll get more comfortable moving around a little bit more. There were a couple times where I needed to extend plays, and the line did a good job of holding up. … I used to do that a lot when I was a younger player, but it's nice to have that element back.”
Rodgers' ability to throw while running on Thursday night was noticeably more prolific than in the first two weeks of the regular season. In those earlier games, Rodgers completed just one of his four pass attempts while running for six yards. In Week 3, Rodgers completed all five of his passes while running (at over 8 mph) for 62 yards and a touchdown, according to Next Generation Statistics.
In the second quarter, Rodgers moved the chain on a third-and-six situation, thanks to that newfound mobility. With the pocket collapsing in front of him, he shifted to his left and found Allen Lazard for a 27-yard pass rush.
On the third, Rodgers ran to his right and was able to complete a back-foot pass to Garrett Wilson for the touchdown in the red zone.
While Rodgers was primarily moving to set up the pass on Thursday night, he showed he could take some abuse when he got down and running, too. Specifically, he did a fantastic job on a second-and-nine play in the early part of the third quarter. Rodgers evaded a potential sack by Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings, climbed through the pocket and ran down the left sideline. As he stepped out of bounds, Rodgers was hit awkwardly by defensive end Keion White but immediately rebounded.
While that play probably made every heart in East Rutherford stop, it's a key development to see Rodgers be able to absorb that type of awkward hit with relative ease.
New York's offense has been up and down through the first two weeks of the season, but we could be looking at a key turning point for the unit with Rodgers unlocking his mobility once again. If so, the Jets could prove to be one of the most dangerous teams in what looks like a largely wide-open AFC.
