The New York Jets have been grasping all season long for remedies for their on-field woes but, thus far, nothing has worked. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers' presence hasn't lifted the team in the win column the way many people thought it would.
Reinforcing their offensive line in the offseason hasn't paid dividends yet either. Switching offensive play-callers from Nathaniel Hackett and Todd Downing hasn't done the trick. Firing coach Robert Saleh hasn't changed anything and neither has trading for three-time All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick finally ending his holdout and joining the team didn't alter the vibe on Sunday as well. They're now 2-6 after their fifth consecutive defeat, the latest an embarrassing 25-22 face plant at the New England Patriots, also now 2-6.
The Patriots lost starting quarterback Drake Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, in the first half with a concussion, and they still came back to win.
Now, in the words of defensive coordinator/interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, the Jets are in a dark place.
"This is a moment of darkness, and we understand that the outside world is going to get really loud right now," Ulbrich said, via SportsNet New York. "The only thing I know in life is that when it gets dark, and it gets hard is that you work. You point the finger at yourself and you look inward and you figure out 'what can I do better in an individual standpoint?' If we do that collectively, which I believe we will, that's your only opportunity to get out of this. That's your only opportunity to improve and fix some of these wrongs. That's where we're fortunate that the character of this locker room I think, they will demonstrate who they are."
| Jets This Season | First Three Games | Last Five Games |
|---|---|---|
W-L | 2-1 | 0-5 |
PPG | 22.3 | 16.6 |
PPG Allowed | 17.3 | 23.6 |
Turnover Margin | +1 | -4 |
Rodgers, who once spent days locked in a cabin on a darkness retreat in the 2023 offseason before deciding to play for the Jets, is an expert in the darkness. That's why he was able to provide a solution at his postgame press conference for how New York can turn things around in a season that is slowly slipping away.
"Yeah, I've been in the darkness," Rodgers said, via SNY, postgame. "You've got to go in there, make peace with it. Offensively, our goal just has to be score 30 [points]. Doesn't matter what the other two sides [of the ball] are doing. We have in our defense and [special] teams, but we're not scoring. We're underachieving. This offense can do that every single week."
The four-time NFL MVP was certainly capable leading an offense that had the potential to score 30 points every week while with the Green Bay Packers, but through his first eight games of 2024, he is playing some of the worst football of his 20-season career, 17 of which he has been a starting quarterback.
| Rodgers' Career Ranks as Starter Through First Eight Games of a Season | 2024 Career Rank* | |
|---|---|---|
W-L | 2-6 | Worst |
Pass TD | 12 | Worst |
INT | 7 | 2nd-worst |
Passer Rating | 85.1 | Worst |
* Minimum two games played
Life doesn't get any easier for Rodgers and the Jets in Week 9 as they will play host to quarterback C.J. Stroud and the 6-2 Houston Texans on "Thursday Night Football."