Aaron Rodgers shines in the Jets’ victory over the Patriots

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The New York Jets earned their second win of the season, defeating the New England Patriots 24-3 on Thursday night. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers impressed in his return to MetLife Stadium, throwing two touchdowns in the first half as the crowd chanted his name.

Here is the most important information for Thursday evening for both teams:

In short, it was a classic Rodgers, whose second home game against the Jets was much more enjoyable than the first.

This time, Rodgers wowed the MetLife Stadium crowd with stunning accuracy and a series of off-platform throws, throwing for 281 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ second consecutive victory.

By the end of the third quarter, the sellout crowd was chanting his name. Now think back to last season’s opening game on Sept. 11. There was an eerie silence in the stadium when Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon on the fourth snap of the season and was carried off the field.

On Thursday night, Rodgers (27 of 35) was like a point guard, passing the ball to everyone around him. He made passes to eight different receivers. Significantly, the 40-year-old quarterback moved well both in and out of the pocket, much better than he did in the first two games. That he was able to do this in a short week – with only three days off – bodes well for the rest of the season.

The Jets began the season with Super Bowl ambitions. When Rodgers plays like this, anything seems possible in the Jets universe.

Describe the game in two words: Absolute dominance. The Jets controlled the ball 40:04 and defeated the Patriots 400-139.

Promising trend: The Jets’ pass rush was lively without Jermaine Johnson (Achilles injury, season-ending) and Haason Reddick (out). Led by defensive end Will McDonald IV (2.5 sacks), who now has 5.5 on the season, the Jets smothered quarterback Jacoby Brissett. They finished the season with seven sacks, bringing the season total to 14.

Does that mean the defense is back in the top five? No. A little perspective: In the last two weeks, they have faced two weak offenses: the Patriots and the Tennessee Titans.

Buy Allen Lazard and Tyler Conklin’s performances: A year ago, Lazard was so insignificant that he was benched despite signing a four-year, $44 million contract. With Rodgers at quarterback, he seems revitalized and gives the offense another weapon on the perimeter.

The former Green Bay Packers teammates scored a 10-yard touchdown in the first quarter, Lazard’s third of the season. He finished the game with three catches for 48 yards. Conklin, who played no part in the first two games, caught five balls for 93 yards. In games where Garrett Wilson is quiet, Conklin and Lazard can be good backups in the passing attack.

Biggest gap in the schedule: Maybe we’re being petty, but Rodgers and Wilson still seem to be working through some chemistry issues. They disagreed on some routes.

Wilson scored a touchdown on a 2-yard pass – a laser from Rodgers – but otherwise it was a quiet night for the star receiver, who was covered by cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Rodgers avoided that matchup, as he targeted Wilson nine times. He’s off to a slow start in his third season and is drawing more attention from opponents.

Next game: vs. Denver Broncos (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 29)

The good mood that the Patriots had spread in two hard-fought games to open the season vanished in a minute in New York on Thursday night. The result did not reflect how one-sided it was.

While Rodgers made it look easy for the Jets, it was a real thing for quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the Patriots, whose four first downs in the first half were the fewest the franchise has had in a half since 2000. The Patriots had 40 yards of offense in the first half, as they were outgained by 212 yards in the first 30 minutes.

Brissett was fifth times and never seemed comfortable in the pocket. The Patriots started rookie Caedan Wallace at left tackle because Vederian Lowe was out with an ankle injury, and his growing pains were evident on a second-half drive in which he was given two consecutive holding penalties. It looked like a battle for everyone at times.

Describe the game in two words: Completely inferior. From the kick-off, the result never seemed to be in doubt.

Biggest gap in the schedule: Blocking and tackling. It sounds simple, but head coach Jerod Mayo said Thursday’s games usually come down to which team plays with the better fundamentals. That was a strength in the first two games, but the offense allowed too many free runners and the defense missed too many tackles and bad angles.

QB Breakdown: The shaky defense often left Brissett running for his life. If there was one throw he wanted back, it was the one in the first quarter when he pushed tight end Austin Hooper down the left sideline and missed.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye made his NFL regular-season debut with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter with the team trailing 24-3. He completed 4-8 passes for 22 yards and was sacked twice.

Worrying trend: This is the second week in a row that the Patriots defense has been unable to find a decisive answer to the passing game. Rodgers’ ability to get the ball out quickly and deliver it with precision made it difficult to generate pressure for a front seven that was playing without linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (torn pectoralis muscle).

And the coverage in the secondary, which had all the starters available, was not up to its usual level. Mayo had stressed after Week 2 how important it was to keep the quarterbacks in the pocket, and the Patriots had the same problems against Rodgers.

Next game: at the San Francisco 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 29)