by Alejandro Menendez
If you’re a Jets fan, the first game of the season couldn’t have gone any worse. And yet, the team won.
As quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked on just his first drive with the Jets, all of MetLife stadium seemed to hold its breath. Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear putting him out for the rest of the season.
A devastating injury that has sidelined many players such as NBA superstar Kevin Durant which put him out for 552 days. The scary thing about Rodgers’ injury is that he isn’t a 27-year-old KD but a 39-year-old in his 19th season.
Despite this catastrophe, his team went on to beat the division favorite Buffalo Bills in the Monday Night prime-time matchup. This raises the question: Can the Jets win without Rodgers?
The New York defense looked extremely solid, reducing the usually remarkable Josh Allen to only a single touchdown, and a career-high three interceptions. Now, when you spend seventy-five million dollars on a QB, you don’t expect him to just sit around and not be able to play.
But the Jets have been clear that they want to win now with signings like running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Allen Lazard. So, you may expect to see them either get a new quarterback or stick with their backup Zach Wilson who went 5-4 in 2022 with six touchdowns and five interceptions.
The head coach of the Jets, Robert Salah, has made is clear that they will be sticking with Wilson. However, I wouldn’t be so sure as Zach was benched last season for Mike White after losing multiple games in a row and the Jets lost their first game without Rodgers in a blowout 30-10 loss to the Cowboys. In this game, Wilson threw for only 170 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
This injury also raises another important question for all NFL fans. Will Aaron Rodgers ever play again? Rodgers previously stated before this season that this may not be a yearlong thing and that he could see himself playing multiple seasons in the Big Apple. However, after this injury, it would take a whole lot for Rodgers to be ready to go next season.
Anyhow, the Jets can remain optimistic for the future with stars on both sides of the ball like Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson leading the charge for New York.