Aaron Rodgers guides Jets past Patriots, aims to ‘dominate’ season

On September 20, Aaron Rodgers showcased his skills by throwing two touchdown passes, leading the New York Jets to a dominant 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots. The Jets outperformed the Patriots with a total of 400 yards compared to New England’s 139, improving their record to 2-1. Following the game, Rodgers expressed his belief in the team’s potential for future dominance.

“It’s the expectations,” Rodgers stated after the game in East Rutherford, New Jersey. “If the expectation is winning, we are going to celebrate it, but we should expect to win. The next step is expecting to dominate.”

In this matchup, Rodgers completed 27 out of 35 passes for 281 yards. This marked his first home start since suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1 of the previous season.

The Jets displayed a commanding performance throughout the game, outranking the Patriots in key statistics. They achieved 27 first downs to the Patriots’ 11 and outgained them in rushing yards, 133 to 78. Furthermore, the Jets maintained over 20 minutes in time of possession and showcased a formidable defense that accumulated six sacks and forced a fumble.

Rodgers, who joined the Jets in the previous off-season, is determined to help the franchise achieve a winning record for only the second time since 2015. He expressed pride in his teammates, acknowledging their progress despite outside skepticism. “I’m proud of our guys,” he said. “We’ve been improving, but it hasn’t been good enough for some people outside the room, so to have a performance like we had feels really good.”

The Jets opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Allen Lazard, putting them up 7-0 with just over four minutes left in the first quarter. In the second quarter, running back Breece Hall extended the lead to 14-0 with a 1-yard touchdown run after a lengthy 13-play, 91-yard drive.

Patriots kicker Joey Slye managed to put his team on the board with a 44-yard field goal shortly before halftime, making the score 14-3. In the third quarter, Rodgers added another touchdown pass, this time to Garrett Wilson, giving the Jets a comfortable 21-3 lead with just over six minutes left in the period.

The Jet’s scoring concluded with a 28-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein early in the fourth quarter. New England’s rookie quarterback Drake Maye, selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, took over for veteran Jacoby Brissett with just over four minutes left in the game. Maye completed four of eight passes for 22 yards during his brief appearance.

Jacoby Brissett, on the other hand, ended his night with 12 completions on 18 attempts for 98 yards. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo remained non-committal regarding who would start at quarterback in Week 4. “I just thought it was a good opportunity for him to go out there with the 1s [first-team offense] and put a few drives together,” Mayo said of Maye. “They moved the ball. We will watch the film and evaluate it.”

Breece Hall’s performance saw him accumulate 83 yards from scrimmage along with a touchdown on 20 touches. Meanwhile, rookie running back Braelon Allen contributed 68 yards from scrimmage on 14 touches, and tight end Tyler Conklin led all receivers with five catches for 93 yards.

The Jets’ defensive effort was impressive, with edge rusher Will McDonald IV recording two sacks. Safety Chuck Clark also made his mark with a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Coach Robert Saleh praised the team’s performance, emphasizing their relentless effort and commitment to their style of play.

The Jets, now sitting at 2-1, are set to face the Denver Broncos (0-2) in their next game on September 29. The Patriots, with a record of 1-2, will go up against the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) on the same day in Santa Clara, California.

Source: UPI