The New York Jets rolled over the New England Patriots, primetime on Thursday Night Football, capturing a 24-3 victory over their AFC rival in Metlife Stadium.
I think it is fair to say that whatever struggles the 40-year-old, four-time NFL MVP was going through in the first two games have washed away. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers found his groove and started to look like his old self, picking his spots on the field with ease to find his receivers.
Rodgers finished the contest by completing 27-35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Significantly, Rodgers's return to his old self may have something to do with familiar relievers catching passes. The Jets quarterback completed his first touchdown in Metlife stadium to a familiar face, New York wide receiver Allen Lazard. Lazard journeyed to Rutherford, New Jersey, from Green Bay, Wisconsin, with Rodgers in 2023. The two long-time teammates have indeed grown trust in each other over the years, and Rodgers completed his final touchdown pass in Green Bay to Lazard.
This reminds me of when Rodgers stared down his own bench after hitting Lazard for a TD against the Lions because he had been lobbying for Lazard to get playing time. https://t.co/fWviu0yJx3 pic.twitter.com/Z3bDsfSmDL
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) September 20, 2024
The former Packer finished the game as the Jets' second-leading wide receiver, totaling three receptions for 48 yards, behind #83 Tyler Conkiln, who captured five catches for 98 yards, leading all receivers. However, the Jets didn’t rely on getting everything done through the air.
As expected, after a breakout performance in Week 2 from Jets’ running back Braelon Allen, he split carries more evenly with his counterpart Breece Hall. Allen finished with 11 carries for 55 yards, just a yard above Hall, who recorded 16 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown.
While Breece Hall showed his ability to break out in his rookie season in 2022 before tearing his ACL, after recovering from injury, it looks like Braelon Allen is also here to stay. Expect the two talented backs to continue to split carries evenly.
There is nothing to say about the Patriots except that they were horrible. Jacoby Brissett recorded a season-low 98 passing yards, completing only 12 passes. The worst part is that New England couldn't get its running game to complement the failure in its passing game. The Patriots have just 139 total yards on offense, zero offensive touchdowns, averaging 2.9 yards a play, and lost a fumble.
While the Jets may have found their rhythm, the Patriots clearly have a lot to consider when preparing for Week 4.
