The New York Jets hoped that star quarterback Aaron Rodgers would suddenly change their fortunes, which have lasted for over a decade and the entire history of the franchise.
His season-ending injury in Week 1 of last year ended that hope. Hope returned Thursday night when Rodgers dismantled the New England Patriots in a 24-3 victory at MetLife Stadium.
“We’re trying to change that whole attitude here,” Rodgers told Amazon’s Kaylee Hartung after the game. “We’re trying to build something special here. These fans who believe in us have been tortured for a long time.”
Much of the woes Rodgers alluded to can be attributed to the Patriots. The Jets are finally starting to get back on track while New England is going through the beginnings of a clear rebuild. As a reminder, New York’s win over Bill Belichick in his final game as head coach of the Patriots last season was the first win over New England since 2015, following a 15-game losing streak.
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Thursday’s win was the Jets’ first home victory over the Patriots since the aforementioned 2015 overtime win at MetLife Stadium. They have now beaten the Patriots in back-to-back meetings for the first time since Week 11 in 2008 and Week 2 in 2009.
Still, the Jets shouldn’t take much from these recent victories. This isn’t about changing the rules of the game, it’s simply about New York no longer playing against Belichick and Tom Brady. They’re facing an extremely young team that has problems all over the place and has some bright talent to build around for a post-dynasty future, which will be a long slog for the Patriots.
The teams will meet again at Gillette Stadium on October 27. The first game of 2024 underscores the fact that the two teams are heading in different directions in the AFC East after one side consistently dominated the other in the past.
