Aaron Rodgers' return to the field after suffering a torn Achilles in last year's season opener was spoiled by the San Francisco 49ers, as Brock Purdy and Co. defeated the New York Jets, 32-19. The vaunted Jets defense allowed 401 yards of total offense to the Christian McCaffrey-less 49ers, but Rodgers' offense didn't perform much better.
Rodgers completed 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception before being replaced by Tyrod Taylor under center in the fourth quarter after the game was out of reach. The Jets recorded just 266 yards of total offense, and possessed the ball for 21:20. That's the lowest time of possession in any of Rodgers' 246 career starts, including playoffs.
Was Rodgers just not in sync with his new playmakers? That's a narrative he dismissed.
"That's an excuse for sure. I'm not going to use that," Rodgers said, via NFL.com. "I don't think we should. We expect greatness when we step on the field. There were moments that felt really good, but not sustained. We felt like if we could just get a first down, we'd be rolling. We had those three-and-outs, which really hurt us. I think a lot of stuff is correctable, which is great for coaches but frustrating for players. We know how close we were/are, but there's no time for that. We're going to move on to Tennessee quickly and then we've got a game four days after that. This is a tough opener for us, travel-wise and schedule-wise, but no excuses. We have to play better. I have to play better. We'll bounce back next week."
There were moments where Rodgers looked like his old self. He completed an impressive back shoulder beauty to Garrett Wilson in the first quarter, and used a free play to connect with Allen Lazard for a 36-yard touchdown deep down the middle of the field late in the third quarter. But overall, it wasn't a consistent performance from the four-time NFL MVP.
"I can play better. I missed a couple of throws. I missed the one to Garrett," Rodgers said. "The last drive I was in, the pick. I missed slightly inside on that one. I felt overall I was getting the ball out pretty good. We had some opportunities I'd like back."
Was there some rust with Rodgers? Sure. But the 49ers deserve plenty of credit -- and they aren't exactly the easiest Week 1 opponent. San Francisco made a concerted effort to run the ball with Jordan Mason, and keep Rodgers off the field with their talented defense.
Up next for Rodgers on what will be two short weeks in a row are the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. While they fell to the Chicago Bears in Week 1, they held Caleb Williams' unit to 148 total yards. As we enter Week 2, the Titans statistically have the No. 1 defense in the NFL.