Mistakes plague the New York Jets on Aaron Rodgers' return

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – This time, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a pass on his fourth snap of the season – a shovel to running back Breece Hall that promptly caused a fumble.

It was a season opener of sorts for Rodgers, whose highly anticipated comeback was spoiled by mistakes and poor performances on both sides of the ball in a 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night at Levi's Stadium.

“They're a championship-caliber group – and I hope we see them then,” Rodgers said of the 49ers, ending his postgame press conference with a touch of optimism.

Rodgers, who tore his left Achilles tendon on the fourth snap of the 2023 season opener, played extensively for the first time in 20 months. He became the 22nd quarterback in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to play after his 40th birthday. There were some classic moments for the four-time MVP, but he was not satisfied with his performance in his return.

“It's a difficult start for us, both in terms of travel and schedule, but there are no excuses,” he said. “We have to play better and I have to play better and then we will bounce back.”

Rodgers (13 of 21, 167 yards) said he “missed a couple of throws,” including an off-target pass that deflected off wide receiver Garrett Wilson and was intercepted by linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. His highlight was a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Allen Lazard – a free kick that slowed the 49ers down after they jumped offside.

The star quarterback spent most of the night on the bench, watching his defense get shredded by the 49ers, who were playing without star running back Christian McCaffrey. The Jets allowed eight consecutive sacks, something they hadn't done in at least 45 years, according to Elias Sports.

“We will fix this mess,” said coach Robert Saleh about the defensive problems.

The Jets had the ball for just 21 minutes and 20 seconds, the shortest time of possession by a Rodgers-led team in a career start. It was Rodgers' 225th career start. The game was so one-sided that Saleh, a former 49ers assistant, substituted Rodgers with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter.

Afterward, Rodgers lamented his inability to sustain offense and pointed to the team's problems on the ground. Hall was only able to gain 54 yards on 16 attempts, as well as a drop and a fumble on a shovel pass.

Physically, he feels “great,” Rodgers said, adding, “Yeah, it's been a while. … I'm very grateful to be back in my protective gear. So many people have helped me get here.”

There didn't seem to be any major issues with his mobility, but he wasn't really tested either. He had no scrambles and only one dropback outside the pocket.

According to NextGen Stats, he was sacked once and was only pressured on five of 22 dropbacks. Interestingly, the sack was caused by Leonard Floyd, who sacked Rodgers on the play that caused his Achilles tendon to tear in last year's opening game.

On this night, Rodgers' trademark accuracy on short passes was absent. On passes of 10 yards or less, he completed just five of 12 for 46 yards and one interception (not including planned blocks). He finished the day with a below-expectation completion percentage of 10.7%, his worst mark since 2021 – the third of his four MVP seasons.

“We never really gave him a chance to get into a rhythm,” Saleh said of Rodgers.

Rodgers was the victim of some tough drops, including a drop by Lazard on third down on the first series. Hall said he apologized to Rodgers after the game, saying he hurt the team with his mistakes.

“I told him I was sorry I didn't play as well as I could have and didn't play to my potential,” Hall said. “He just said, 'It's going to be a long season, brother. I'm not worried. You're going to get through it.'”

Rodgers and none of the starters played in the preseason, which may have led to rust and timing issues on offense and defense. Wilson took offense, insisting that their preparation in training camp was fine. Rodgers also said: “That's an excuse. I'm not going to use it. I don't think we should. We expect great things when we step on the field.”

His teammates were just happy to have him back.

“It was awesome,” Wilson said. “It was great to see him out there, hear him in the huddle. We're getting better, but to see him out there and have him be healthy and stay healthy the whole game was a good feeling.”