Aaron Rodgers And Jets Offense Fail Again And Now Conversation Has Turned To Benching Four-Time MVP
Five times this season, Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets offense have had the football with a chance to make a difference – a chance to overcome a deficit and deliver a victory.
And five times the quarterback and his mates have failed to deliver that fateful magic moment.
The Jets are 0-5 in those games.
"We've had a lot of chances in these situations," Rodgers said after another one of those losses, this one to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. "A lot of these games come down to one play, and whether you make it or miss it. Sometimes that play happens in the second quarter. You make that play, 28-7, different ballgame."
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 01: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets reacts after an incomplete pass in the first quarter of a game against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium on December 01, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Aaron Rodgers Makes Costly Errors
What Rodgers just said doesn't help his cause. Because, sure enough, he had a series in the second quarter that turned a game the Jets were dominating in Seattle's favor. And New York never recovered.
"I think the two-play stretch where I missed Garrett [Wilson] open to go up 28-7 and then threw a Pick-Six kind of changed the momentum of the game," Rodgers said.
That happened when New York led 21-7 and was seemingly driving for another score. Well, Rodgers missed a wide open Garrett Wilson in the end zone for what should have been a touchdown. And that would have made it 28-7.
"The wind was blowing a little inconsistent," Rodgers noted. "Maybe I should have thrown it a little flatter because he was wide open. I mean, I got to hit that."
Then came the interception on the very next play. Leonard Williams, a defensive tackle, dropped into coverage. And Rodgers threw a pass that hit the defensive tackle in the hands.
Williams returned the gift 92 yards for a touchdown.
"I kind of read behind the right guard," Rodgers said of Williams. "I couldn't see him."
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 01: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets tries to throw a pass as Coby Bryant #8 of the Seattle Seahawks dives toward him in the fourth quarter of a game at MetLife Stadium on December 01, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Jets Blow Opportunity To Win
Didn't matter. Because now, a game that seemed all but decided one play earlier, suddenly had the Seahawks within striking distance.
And that wasn't even the big meltdown moment for Rodgers and New York. We saw that again on Sunday. The Jets, trailing 26-21, got one final opportunity with 5:25 to play. And after driving all the way to the Seattle 29-yard line, the chances for heroics passed as surely as this season's hopes have passed.
It ended with Rodgers flinging a prayer of a pass on fourth down that landed out of Wilson's reach. The Seahawks then ran out the clock.
"It's a lot of things, I would say, combined," Rodgers said in explaining this and other failures.
"We got to figure that out," interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. "We got to figure that out quickly. It's never on one person. It isn't. It's on the entire collective group …"
Yeah, um, the Jets are beyond figuring out why the four-time MVP and his offense haven't responded in key moments.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 01: Riq Woolen #27 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after a turnover on downs by the New York Jets in the fourth quarter of a game at MetLife Stadium on December 01, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Rodgers Benching On The Table
What this New York season has become is figuring out whether Rodgers continues to start for the Jets. And those questions are coming high and tight from the New York media.
So, would Ulbrich consider making a change at quarterback?
"Not as of today," Ulbrich said.
Weird answer. That's not an unequivocal "No."
And that gives the issue life. So, the next move is to ask Rodgers.
"I don't know, I mean, we'll figure that out when we have those conversations," Rodgers said of a potential benching. "I'll have a conversation with [Ulbrich] and see what he's thinking."
Oh goody, more drama coming from the New York Jets.