Even a historic play, by Green & White standards. It was the longest pick-six by an opposing linebacker in Jets franchise history.
Three plays and two passes later, Rodgers overthrew Allen Lazard on a deep post and instead found S Camryn Bynum for the second pick.
The final theft was the crusher. Rodgers was trying to hit Mike Williams near the Vikings 10 in the final minute of the game. Williams didn’t turn in time but CB and occasional Jets tormentor Stephon Gilmore did, cradling the pick as he went to ground with 44 seconds left to prevent a fourth-down Rodgers throw to help pull out a miraculous 24-23 win.
Rodgers’ line, like his game in general, as Saleh described the Jets’ early play, was “up and down”: 29-of-54 for 244 yards, 2 short TDs but those 3 picks, all for a 54.9 rating. Under similar duress as was applied by the Broncos the week before, he was sacked three times and hit 11 times by the Purple & Gold’s pressure people eaters.
Asked about what’s ailing the Jets in their two straight losses after their back-to-back wins, A-Rod ticked off several culprits, not leaving himself out.
“We’re playing below our potential,” he said. “Too many mistakes. We’ve been slow starters. Too many mental errors. And too many mistakes in general that are hard to overcome. And for me, I’ve got to take care of the ball. I can’t turn the ball over three times and win in this league.”
The shame of it was that the game was set up for a glorious late chapter in the future Hall of Famer’s autobiography. He got up slowly and hobbled to the visitors’ sideline after an incompletion and a heavy pressure at the Jets 14 with six minutes left in the third quarter, then sneered at his pain.
“I’m definitely banged up. I got my foot caught in the pile there,” he said. “But it just seems to be a low ankle sprain. They were trying to get me in the [blue examination] tent but then we got the roughing-the-kicker and I said, screw it, I’m going back out there.”
On that drive, the Jets went 16 plays and 83 yards, and after his ankle twisting he completed 5 of 6 as the offense got as close as the Vikes 14 before Greg Zuerlein’s short field goal to get the Jets to within one score at 17-10. Three series later, he completed 6 of 8, including the 1-yard toss to Garrett Wilson and it was suddenly 20-17.