Everyone has added their two cents as to why they think Aaron Rodgers has struggled for the New York Jets in 2024. One person who knows what it’s like to be the subject of that scrutiny is Mark Sanchez. Using that wisdom, Sanchez took it upon himself to join the Aaron Analysts in the quest to figure out, in true Vince Lombardi fashion, what the hell is going on out here.
Appearing on “The Herd,” Sanchez eloquently and intricately broke down two of Rodgers’ most crushing mistakes in the Jets’ recent loss to the Seattle Seahawks: a blown wide-open pass to Garrett Wilson in the end zone, followed by a pick-six on the ensuing play.
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Regarding the miss to Wilson, Sanchez praised the route concept and the separation created by Wilson, but said that Rodgers’ mistake was that he threw a “tweener.” With the separation and trajectory of Wilson (whom Sanchez said “dusted” Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe), Sanchez suggested that Rodgers either throw the ball to the back pylon or put the ball straight on him, but Rodgers’ pass was an awkward balance of both, sailing out of bounds.
“It’s an excellent play call, excellent recognition, excellent execution other than a physical mistake on the throw,” Sanchez said. “And he just missed. And guys are going to miss, that happens.”
As for his pick-six to Leonard Williams, Sanchez said Rodgers made a reasonable read based on the pre-snap look, but he credited Williams for incredible post-snap execution and Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald for a creative design.
“What he’s looking at is a free runner off the edge, no safety in the middle of the field. This looks, feels, and smells like Cover 0, which means they got one more than I can protect. I got to ditch this ball and beat Devon Witherspoon off the slide. He’s coming from depth, it’s man-to-man across the board. Perfect, let’s roll,” Sanchez said.
“So, Aaron Rodgers catches the ball, bam, I got my answer, quick throw. … And here comes Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed. Normally, they’re rushing. They teach them in this, ‘rush to touch.’ So, you rush to touch the guy in front of you, and then disengage and haul out of there. Well, Leonard Williams, are you kidding me with this awareness? He can stop the run, he can rush the passer, and now he’s in coverage reading routes? Understanding what route concepts are coming? This tells me [Mike] Macdonald and this defense are really starting to get in sync here, because he hunts up that quick in route from Garrett Wilson and picks the ball off? Are you kidding me?”
It was a phenomenal breakdown by Sanchez, who has become a standout in the NFL media space. Sanchez consistently provides a unique combination of in-depth analysis and quirky humor without ever being too over the top with his takes. It always seems like he is having fun in his role, as evidenced by his amazing line to summarize the Jets-Seahawks game on the FOX broadcast.
With one of their former quarterbacks on national television breaking down the struggles of their current quarterback – who just lost to another one of the Jets’ former quarterbacks largely because he threw a pick-six to one of the Jets’ former defensive tackles – the Jets’ bizarre season continues to deliver moments that even Hollywood’s finest scribes could never put to paper.
