EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ—Forget about your neighborhood-friendly surgeon in Northern New Jersey; a certain human named Aaron Rodgers currently features surgical precision.
The New York Jets elite quarterback started hot against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium Thursday night. Not even midway through the second quarter, Rodgers’s electrifying start culminated in a 14-0 Jets lead.
First, he found Allen Lazard for a 10-yard score on a quick bubble (no screen) run-pass concept:
There's nothing complicated about it: Just a quick smoke to Allen Lazard because the Pats lagged coverage inside the 10. #Jets on top, 7-0.pic.twitter.com/83HsxDtvuB
— Jets X-Factor (@jetsxfactor) September 20, 2024
A drive later, Rodgers led his team down the field on a drive that resulted in a Breece Hall rushing touchdown of a yard:
Breece Hall gets that tough yard to put the #Jets up 14-0. pic.twitter.com/1UbTRaf9ra
— Jets X-Factor (@jetsxfactor) September 20, 2024
Rodgers, 40, has posted 135 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions on a blazing 12 of 14 passing. Seven Jets have recorded at least one reception, including tight end Tyler Conklin and wide receiver Xavier Gipson.
The viral Rodgers-Saleh video is much to do about nothing
Naturally, even the feel-good Jets moments must arrive with at least a little pain or controversy, and this particular Thursday night isn’t an outlier.
A video featuring an interaction between Aaron Rodgers and Robert Saleh is currently making the rounds. After the Breece Hall touchdown, the Jets offense took its hyped-up emotions to the sideline, where the team’s head coach excitedly awaited his unit.
After a quick yet mutual hand-to-hand greeting, Rodgers’s all-business face took center stage thereafter:
Aaron Rodgers and Robert Saleh after the second touchdown 👀 pic.twitter.com/ppkQyXRI8x
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 20, 2024
From this view, per the Jets’ official X account, it looks even less controversial:
a whole lotta football guys right here pic.twitter.com/U0zRP7v5NZ
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 20, 2024
Please remember who Rodgers is. This man isn’t your average Joe. His personality is unique to the point that “dry” couldn’t even describe his type of humor.
Who knows what kind of conversation the two had before the game, and who knows what Rodgers was feeling at this very moment? But this much is for sure: This video shouldn’t provide anybody with much substance of any sort.
If Rodgers had outright snubbed his head coach, it would have been time to stir the pot. This was anything but the case.
Perhaps it simply boils down to a quarterback in the zone—and one who had to fight a bit to open the game in a more wide-open/empty look, which the Jets have done to perfection against the Pats on Thursday night.
