However, no holes were showing in the offense’s collective psyche because of the rough start. Midway through the second quarter, the Green & White were staring at a 146-20 yardage pit and the potential of the Titans, at the Jets 6, opening a 10-0 or 14-0 lead before their home-opener fan base.
But Titans QB Will Levis, despite showing toughness, accuracy and mobility, as a second-year vet has about one-tenth of the experience of Rodgers. He showed it on third down when Will McDonald strip-sacked him and Quincy Williams recovered, then again on his next play when his long ball was picked off by CB Brandin Echols.
And the Rodgers Peace Train started rolling as he led the Jets 73 yards to their first TD, Allen’s touchdown catch, then 70 yards to open the second half, with the coup de grace Breece Hall’s split-wide 26-yard end zone grab against the single coverage of LB Kenneth Murray. Just like that, the Jets led 14-10 and had regained their equilibrium.
As Rodgers noted, that doesn’t always happen in the NFL.
“A lot of times, people freak out. You’ve got to be the calming force in there,” he said. “But I feel like all game, we were frustrated at times but we never got down on each other. We were supportive and positive, even though we were frustrated that we were not getting G enough balls, we didn’t run that well in the first 2½ quarters. We stayed confident.”
Exactly how Saleh saw things, repeating his enticing mantra from other responses in his media availability.
“I feel like we can score every time we touch the ball,” he said. “We’re working through things, obviously, but to have three scoring drives and also get a field goal out of it … Aaron’s presence, his ability at the line of scrimmage, his confidence in the huddle and on the sideline, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
“He’s had success in this league for a very long time, he’s seen everything. To have his presence in the huddle for guys who haven’t seen everything is pretty cool.”
By breaking that 17-all tie, Rodgers got credit unofficially for his 32nd regular-season fourth-quarter game-winning drive. It meant a lot to him, not for his personal records but for what it can mean for his team when December and January arrive.
“These are really important games late in the season when you’re trying to get into the playoffs,” he said. “You’re looking back on a hot day, a short week, a very good defense, we started off really slow. Finding a way to win, that’s what really good teams do.”