Jets question player performance as Aaron Rodgers hits new lows

ORCHARD PARK, NY – New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t catch his 500th touchdown pass on Sunday, but he still managed to make history in a 40-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium – a defeat so one-sided that it left some of his teammates wondering if the players had quit.

Rodgers was sacked four times, bringing his career total to 568 sacked times. He passed Tom Brady (565) as the most sacked quarterback in NFL history.

“Yeah, I made Tom do it,” Rodgers said with a faint smile, feigning a hint of excitement.

Gallows humor.

The day was so bad for Rodgers and the Jets (4-12) that the future Hall of Famer told his coaches to go to the bullpen at the start of the fourth quarter when the Jets trailed 40-0. Tyrod Taylor came to mop up.

It was the first time in Rodgers’ career that his team faced a 40-point deficit in a game he started.

It was a terrible game in a bitterly disappointing season that began with Super Bowl aspirations.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a little bit like this season — it just got away from us,” said Rodgers, who threw two interceptions and recorded an overall QBR of 1.2 — the lowest mark of his career. “We missed too many games. We missed this game. We moved the ball well and then we just hit a wall. And that was kind of a season.”

The Rodgers-led offense has gone 14 straight possessions without a touchdown (Taylor led two scoring drives in garbage time), leaving him stuck at 499 touchdown passes. He will attempt to become the fifth player in history to reach 500 points in the season finale against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.

Rodgers got within striking distance on his first two drives against the Bills, but missed an open Kenny Yeboah on a third-and-1 at the 24 and they failed to convert on fourth down.

On their next possession, Rodgers followed with an interception on a play from the Bills’ 12-yard line. It was a screen for Davante Adams, who had three blockers waiting to accompany him into the end zone, but the pass was deflected at the line and blocked by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips.

“We have to make this play,” Rodgers said, claiming he wasn’t thinking about .500.

After his second interception, Rodgers (12 of 18, 112 yards) committed the first unnecessary roughness penalty of his career – a late push out of bounds on Bills cornerback Christian Benford. It was one of 16 penalties for 120 yards, including five personal fouls. It was the most accepted penalty in a game since 2018.

“I don’t think I put much pressure on him,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers has now lost 12 games, making it the second-most defeat in a season by a former MVP quarterback since The Associated Press first awarded it in 1957. Bert Jones of the Baltimore Colts went 13-2 in 1981.

Afterwards, Rodgers considered his words carefully; He didn’t question the team’s performance. However, other players did.

“You ask me, obviously we’re not going to the playoffs, some guys might get checked out,” cornerback Sauce Gardner said. “That’s just my speculation.”

When asked if he sensed a lack of effort from anyone, cornerback DJ Reed said, “I’m not going to comment on that.”

Reed pointed the finger at the offense for its lack of production. The Rodgers-led unit has scored just one touchdown in the last two games.

“It comes down to complementary football, bro,” Reed said. “We play a strong offense. Josh Allen is the MVP runner-up, whatever – a great player. We have to really step it up on offense, on special teams. They continue to have our defense.” “At some point they’re going to do something good… So yeah, we have to be better, but we have to play complementary football.”

Garrett Wilson, who scored a touchdown but also lost a fumble, said the result was “embarrassing. … It was as bad as it could be.”

When the two teams met in Week 6, Jeff Ulbrich’s first game as interim coach, the Jets were 2-3 and playing for a share of first place. The Jets lost that game 23-20. They are now 2-9 under Ulbrich, who replaced the fired Robert Saleh.

“It’s frustrating. It’s embarrassing. It’s crazy,” Ulbrich said. “Yes, that’s all.”

Adams said the Jets’ talent compares favorably to that of the Bills (13-3).

“On paper it will look like a shooting — and it should be — but it’s about execution,” Adams said. “It doesn’t matter who you have in the squad.”

Gardner echoed that sentiment.

“We’ve improved our roster in every area, which shows me – I don’t know, bro – that we can’t play as a team,” Gardner said. “We’re probably just individuals. Last year and the year before we had a squad that wasn’t that talented, but we found ways to win. What’s stopping that now, with a more talented squad?”