Aaron Rodgers is frustrated after the Jets‘ 31-6 loss to the Cardinals. Despite playoff hopes, the offensive performance remains weak.
The New York Jets suffered one of their bitterest defeats of the season on Sunday at State Farm Stadium. Aaron Rodgers, who was visibly frustrated, kept his explanation for the 6:31 defeat against the Arizona Cardinals short. “There were definitely a lot of emotions this year,” the quarterback said as he stood at the podium after one of his worst performances statistically in his 20-year career.
Asked to elaborate, Rodgers replied: “It’s a complex answer, but now is not the time or place for it. But someday I’ll give a better answer.”
A disappointing year for the Jets
Rodgers, who saw the Jets as a Super Bowl contender, is facing one of the most disappointing seasons in recent franchise history. Even though the Jets are not mathematically out of the playoff race, the 14th season in a row without playoff participation seems almost certain.
The trade for Rodgers last year was supposed to make the Jets winners, but the plan failed. Wide receiver Davante Adams, a close friend of Rodgers, said: “I’m trying to work with him to make sure he stays as mentally strong as possible because it’s tough. If Michael Jordan was on this team, he wouldn’t be happy.”
The embarrassing loss certainly wasn’t all Rodgers’ fault – the defense missed 20 tackles, according to Next Gen Stats. But his lack of production against the 24th-ranked pass defense was concerning. Rodgers completed just 22 of 35 passes for 151 yards and only completed one pass that traveled more than 10 yards in the air.
His average of 4.3 yards per attempt was his worst in a game with multiple pass attempts since 2019 and the fourth-worst of his career. His longest completion was a 15-yard dump-off to running back Breece Hall.
Lack of chemistry between Rodgers and Adams
Rodgers often appeared hesitant to throw deep, attempting only two passes over 20 yards, both incomplete. “We had a few chances,” Rodgers said. “I missed the spot a few times. I don’t think we handled the noise and pressure they brought well.”
One sequence in the third quarter was particularly disappointing when the Jets threw three incomplete passes on second-and-goal from the Cardinals’ 3-yard line. Rodgers looked for Adams 13 times, but they only found each other six times for 31 yards. The hoped-for revival of chemistry between the two did not materialize.
The Jets’ once-feared defense was the main culprit as the Cardinals opened the game with five consecutive scoring drives, including touchdown drives of 70, 70, 70 and 88 yards. Quarterback Kyler Murray completed 22 of 24 passes for 266 yards, including a franchise-record 17 consecutive completions.
The most glaring mistake came in the second quarter when cornerback Sauce Gardner missed a would-be tackle on tight end Trey McBride.
Coach Ulbrich takes responsibility
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who now has a record of 1:4, took responsibility for his players. “We didn’t play anywhere near our standard and that’s 100 percent on my shoulders,” he said. “I didn’t do a good job preparing these guys.” Ulbrich promised to look for answers because “something wasn’t right.”
He didn’t question the effort or the physicality, just the execution. In fact, the Jets were outgained by a ratio of 2:1 – 406 to 207 yards.
In the end, Rodgers didn’t want to talk about the state of the franchise and attributed the poor performance to poor situational football. “We were just really bad,” he said.
