Aaron Rodgers puts on a “really special night” and leads the Jets past the Patriots on their return to MetLife

His arm was as remarkable as ever, but he was also quick and cool under pressure. He finished the night with 281 yards on 27 of 35 passing for two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding three rushing attempts for 18 yards.

“I felt really good out there,” Rodgers said. “I felt really good before the game and I’ve been making progress. I told you guys after Week 1 that it’s going to be a process to keep extending plays as I get more comfortable and that was kind of the first step to playing the way I know how to play. I felt like myself a couple years ago.”

The final score and stats hardly told an accurate story, as Rodgers was in control and whetted the appetite for what might be ahead for the Jets.

“He showed the agility that we’ve seen throughout training camp,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said, “and like I said, he may not be what he once was, but he still has a lot of leg strength, his arm is still 30 and his mind is still working at a high level. He was definitely impressive today.”

Although this was Rodgers’ third game since tearing his Achilles last year, it was his first in front of Gang Green’s loyal fans. Nonetheless, road games against the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans calmed him down a bit before Thursday’s theatrical performance.

“I was really calm and honestly I didn’t think about it too much,” he said. “Obviously it was emotional coming home for the first time since then, but I really think the first week took away a lot of the pre-game fears and anxieties and tonight I feel like I played pretty freely.”

It turned out he was phenomenal from the start, even though New York, which opened the game on offense, punted on its first possession. Rodgers completed his first four attempts and fought his way to a first down. He was also sacked, and getting back up from that was likely another obstacle to overcome on the MetLife turf.

For Rodgers, of course, his first game and first season with the Jets ended on his fourth snap in 2023 when he tore his Achilles tendon against the Buffalo Bills.

He’s now played three games, and although the season is still in its infancy, Thursday was a testament to what the Jets’ offense could become with a top-form Rodgers and his supporting cast stepping in.

He threw a 10-yard touchdown to Allen Lazard to open the scoring. His former Green Bay Packers running mate now leads the NFL with three receiving touchdowns.

While Rodgers took center stage in a classic version, the future Hall of Famer also achieved a first when he scored his second touchdown of the evening along with Garrett Wilson.

It was the first touchdown between Rodgers and Wilson, of what Jets fans hope will be many more, and it was also the first touchdown that Rodgers threw to a wide receiver drafted in the first round in his career.

“Garrett is a special athlete, a special route runner and he has so much wiggle room, so special in terms of improvisation and his route running, but they’re going to get closer, they’re going to continue to work together and it’s only Week 3,” Saleh said. “This is such a long season and these two are only going to get better.”

As historic as Rodgers and Wilson’s score was, it was also a beautiful piece.

Rodgers threw a sidearm pass to Wilson, who caught it excellently and then was able to send the ball into the pylon for the six-yard line.

While he was tearing the Pats apart, Rodgers played all of his biggest hits. The 40-year-old model looked a lot like the 38-year-old model who won the MVP for the fourth time in his career. He threw beautiful balls from the deck, showed off his arm strength, was quick in and out of the pocket and, perhaps most impressively, excelled in the face of pressure.

In his last two games, Rodgers has completed 4 of 10 passes for 26 yards, no touchdowns and one interception under pressure, according to Next Gen Stats. Against New England, he was pressured on 30% of his dropbacks, but completed an amazing 7 of 8 passes for 95 yards and a rating of 116.1.

Rodgers was in prime-time form, phenomenally complemented by outstanding performances from running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, tight end Tyler Conklin and the aforementioned Wilson and Lazard. All of this happened while the Jets defense looked as dominant as it has in recent seasons.

This is what Gotham envisioned when it signed Rodgers in the 2023 offseason. And Rodgers hopes this is just the beginning of something special to come.

“We’re trying to change that whole mindset here, we’re trying to build something special here, get these fans to believe in us,” Rodgers told Prime Video’s Kaylee Hartung immediately after the game. “They’ve been tormented for a long time. Last year was obviously a rough year, but it’s good to be back, it’s good to be healthy. Again, I’m thankful to so many people that got me this far, but it’s great to be a Jet, great to have nights like this.”