One of the moments New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers really wanted came in the third quarter. It wasn’t a pass. It was a run.
It was actually a classic Rodgers sprint. Forced out of the pocket, he ran up the field trying to get to the first down marker. When he got there, he was caught from behind by New England defender Keion Davis, who pulled him to the ground as they left the field.
It was a gain of 11 yards. Rodgers immediately got up again.
In many ways, the Jets’ 24-3 victory over the Patriots was the first time fans got to see “classic Rodgers” in person as a Jet.
Efficient. Mobile. Dominant. Controlled.
The fact that this happened at the home opener, a year after he tore his Achilles tendon there, made the whole thing even better for the 40-year-old passer.
“I felt pretty good tonight,” he told Amazon Prime’s Kaylee Hartung after the game. “I did some things that I did as a younger guy.”
He was one short incomplete pass short of a 300-yard passing game. But he completed 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. He threw no interceptions and suffered two sacks. He also had three runs for 18 yards.
Additionally, he extended several plays from the pocket with his legs, which usually resulted in completions. Those are the kind of plays he made before his Achilles injury. And they’re also the kind of plays he hasn’t made in the first two games of this season.
“I said I would feel more comfortable moving around a little bit as the games went on, and there were a few times where I had to extend plays,” he said.
Rodgers’ first half was impressive, completing 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards and scoring a touchdown. That point went to his old friend, wide receiver Allen Lazard, who played with Rodgers in Green Bay.
It was just a quick tug to the outside, but Lazard evaded several defenders and gave the 40-year-old his first touchdown pass in his home game as a Jet, more than a year after tearing his Achilles tendon.
Lazard understood the moment and took the football directly to Rodgers after the goal. It was his 12th touchdown pass at MetLife Stadium. He threw the other 11 with the Green Bay Packers.
He led another scoring drive in the second quarter, a 13-play opus that capped off a touchdown run by running back Breece Hall. He set up the run with a 22-yard pass to tight end Tyler Conklin, a route he ran down the middle of the field and then turned into a seam for a big gain.
Ball distribution was a key part of Rodgers’ night. Conklin had a great night, catching five passes for 93 yards. But eight different Jets caught passes, including Garrett Wilson, who caught his first touchdown pass from Rodgers in the second half.
He still has a long way to go to catch Lazard, who caught Rodgers’ last touchdown pass as a Packer, his first touchdown pass as a Jet and his first touchdown pass at home as a Jet.
But Rodgers says it will come, just like his game.
“That’s the beauty of this game,” he said. “It’s a beautiful game. I’ve been lucky to be involved in it for a long time. I have a really good relationship with him (Lazard), and if Five (Wilson) and I have that, it’s going to be fun.”
