The quarterback for the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers, dismissed fears of an injury when he seemed to limp against the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter.
After a difficult game in a close 10-9 loss, he acknowledged, “Yeah, I’m banged up a little bit,” but he maintained he didn’t have any major injuries.
In addition, Rodgers’ head coach Robert Saleh moved quickly to allay concerns about his injuries. Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles tendon just four snaps into the 2023 season, ending his first season with the franchise. Saleh said Rodgers is fine and chalked it up to natural wear and tear.
Saleh did draw attention to an issue with the offensive, though. He was pointing out that the team’s bad afternoon’s false start penalties were mostly caused by Aaron Rodgers’ cadence.
The official narrative on Rodgers’ health, however, hasn’t completely won over doubting Jets supporters, many of whom claim that their own observations provide a different picture. Comments along the lines of “Is Aaron Rodgers okay? Seems like he isn’t,” worried fans of the NFL said.
When Rodgers was seen hobbling post-sack for a six-yard loss in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the injury alarm went off. Denver’s 290-pound defensive tackle Malcolm Roach and 246-pound linebacker Jonah Elliss delivered the big blow.
The play, which was initially ruled to be a fumble, was eventually determined to be Rodgers down by contact. Rodgers was forced to try 42 passes but finished the game with 225 passing yards in spite of the pressure.
With the Jets offensive line giving up five sacks, Rodgers felt pressured the whole game. Although the Jets’ offense managed 248 yards, surpassing Denver’s 186, it was insufficient to win.
“We had a great week of prep,” coach Saleh said, analyzing the team’s performance. felt a lot of enthusiasm before the game and even at halftime,” she said, before admitting that, given the rain, “it was going to be rough sledding no matter what.” The wounds that were self-inflicted disappointed me.
After the loss, the Jets’ overall record is now 2-2, which puts them below the Buffalo Bills, who are now unbeaten in the AFC East and will take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. On October 6, the Jets are scheduled to play the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, and Rodgers is initially expected to play.