Jets fear Aaron Rodgers tore Achilles, but team comes back to beat Bills in OT
The Jets kicked off the Aaron Rodgers era Monday night with playoff expectations and Super Bowl dreams. Then their worst nightmare played out at MetLife Stadium.
Rodgers’ season likely is over. The Jets fear that he suffered a torn left Achilles tendon when he was sacked on the first series of the game by Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd. Rodgers will have an MRI on Tuesday and the Jets are bracing for the worst.
A very upset Robert Saleh’s voice was cracking as he broke the devastating news.
“Concerned with his Achilles,” Saleh said. “MRI is probably going to confirm what we think is probably going to happen. Prayers tonight. But it’s not good.”
The Jets showed a lot of resilience, bouncing back from losing their quarterback and coming back from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat the Bills, 22-16, in overtime.
Undrafted rookie free agent Xavier Gipson returned a punt 65 yards for the winning touchdown just 58 seconds into overtime.
“It feels like I was dreaming, and it came true,” Gipson said. “It felt amazing.”
It helped lift the spirits of everyone in the Jets’ locker room, but they were all still feeling for Rodgers.
“You hate to see it,” receiver Garrett Wilson said. “I said my prayer for him and I was like ‘I got to roll now.’ That’s just the reality of the game we play. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about him in the back of my head the whole time.”
The 39-year-old Rodgers was brought down on the fourth snap of his Jets career. Left tackle Duane Brown slipped trying to block Floyd, who then had a free run to Rodgers.
Rodgers got up, limped and then collapsed onto the turf as Jets medical personnel ran to him. He needed help coming off the field and was later driven toward the locker room on a cart.
Saleh could see from the look on Rodgers’ face before he fell to the ground that it was something serious.
“Personally I don’t hurt for me, I don’t hurt for our locker room. I hurt for Aaron and how much he’s invested in all of this,” Saleh said. “I’m still going to say a prayer, I’m still going to hold out hope.”
The MetLife Stadium crowd was loud and boisterous before and at the start of the game. Rodgers was the last player introduced and received a huge ovation. Then the fans went eerily silent when he was injured.
It was a crushing way for the Jets to open this season and only furthers the belief that the franchise is cursed. The Jets had sky-high expectations because of the acquisition of Rodgers, a four-time MVP. This changed everything.
Zach Wilson replaced Rodgers and, after a slow start, drove the Jets to one touchdown and two field goals in the second half. Wilson finished 14-for-21 for 140 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Rodgers was officially 0-for-1 in his Jets debut.
Running back Breece Hall, playing his first game since tearing an ACL last October, looked strong and fast. He rushed for 127 yards on 10 carries. Garrett Wilson caught five passes for 34 yards and had a brilliant touchdown grab with Tre’Davious White all over him.
The Jets’ defense forced Josh Allen into four turnovers, three in the second half. Safety Jordan Whitehead picked off Allen three times. Allen, who was 29-for-41 for 236 yards and a touchdown, also fumbled in the fourth quarter. Quinnen Williams recovered it.
“We all know what we have in that locker room,” Saleh said. “They’re an unbelievable, resilient group. Our defense came out in the second half and just took it personal, taking the ball away from those guys four times. Overall, I think it was just an unbelievable game across the board.”
Is it sustainable without Rodgers? That’s the big question now.
The Jets had hoped to hand the ball off to Wilson in a couple of years, when Rodgers was ready to hang up his cleats, but that process now will be accelerated.
Wilson struggled to lead the team last season, but the Jets see a different Wilson because of Rodgers’ tutelage. Wilson also feels different and more ready to be in the position.
“Each play you just got to tell yourself, ‘Rely on the training that I’ve put in throughout this entire year,’ ” he said. “Trust the work that we put in as a team and rely on the guys around me. That was my focus.”
The Jets have been the NFL’s most-hyped team after getting Rodgers in April. They also believed they were going to change the ugly history of the franchise.
They were confident that Rodgers would lead them to their first playoff berth in 13 years and that they could contend for the Super Bowl.
“Seeing him go down this first game, so quickly, it [stinks], man,” Garrett Wilson said. “I’m going to keep him in my prayers . . . We’re going to do everything we can to do this in his honor. He’s special, man. The impact he’s had on this team in such a short time is special. We had to go get that dub for him today.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
