How did Aaron Rodgers do in his first game back with the Jets? Vintage touchdown pass, connection with Allen Lazard and more in loss

Aaron Rodgers waited nearly a year for this moment.

The former Green Bay Packers quarterback was back on the field Monday for the first time since tearing his left Achilles four snaps into his New York Jets career during the 2023 season opener .

The outcome didn't go as planned for Rodgers and the Jets — a 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers — but the 40-year-old had some vintage moments, like when he caught the defense offsides before throwing a touchdown pass on the free play in the third quarter.

Who was his target? His former teammate in Green Bay, Allen Lazard, a player who has to enjoy having Rodgers back after a forgettable 2023 season in his first year with the Jets.

Here's more on Rodgers' and Lazard's season-opening games as well as former Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen , who made his NFL debut with the Jets .

Aaron Rodgers has first touchdown pass with the Jets; stats, highlights vs. 49ers

There was a lot of buildup to Aaron Rodgers' return from injury in the season opener. It's been 12 months since he was under center and his recovery has been one of the biggest talking points across the league since he suffered the injury on Sept. 11, 2023 .

His return opponent was the defending NFC champion, 49ers, an opponent that he had gone 6-7 against in the regular season and playoffs during his career with the Packers .

Rodgers, who completed his first full game since the Packers' 2022 season finale 20 months ago, finished 13 of 21 for 167 yards with one touchdown and one interception for an 82.8 rating. He was sacked once.

The 36-yard touchdown pass was Rodgers' first as a Jet after throwing 475 regular season TDs and 520 total in his career with the Packers (2005-2022). Rodgers found former Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard on the play with the Jets down 26-7 on 3rd and 8 with 1:39 left in the third quarter.

Before that TD, the offense struggled. It had two straight three and out possessions prior to halftime. Then, Rodgers threw his first interception on a tipped ball on the Jets' first drive of the third quarter while trailing, 23-7.

Meanwhile, the 49ers offense controlled the game. After an opening punt, the 49ers scored on their next eight possessions (two touchdowns and six field goals). San Francisco owned the time of possession, 38:40 to the Jets' 21:20. The 49ers also won the turnover battle, 2-0.

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Was Aaron Rodgers benched vs the 49ers?

Rodgers was taken out of the game with the Jets down 32-12 and 4:20 left in the game. He got through the game unscatched but head coach Robert Saleh was already looking ahead to Week 2 at this point and clearly didn't to risk any injuries to his star quarterback with the Jets trailing by three scores.

Veteran Tyrod Taylor, 35, replaced him and led a touchdown drive.

Despite the loss, Rodgers is confident in his team.

"A lot of stuff is correctable," Rodgers said in his post-game news conference. "This is a tough opener for us. No excuses. We'll bounce back next week."

Former Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard has touchdown reception from Aaron Rodgers

Speaking of Lazard, it was a bounce-back game for him.

Lazard signed with the Jets in the 2023 offseason hoping to continue his successful partnership with Rodgers from his four seasons in Green Bay . After Rodgers was lost for the season in Week 1 last year, Lazard floundered and posted the worst numbers of his career, a theme of multiple former Packers with the Jets last season . He even was benched at one point in the season.

With Rodgers back, could Lazard have a resurgent season?

He dropped his first target on the team's first drive, a catch that would have given the Jets a first down.

But Rodgers showed trust with his good friend when he connected with him later in the game for the long touchdown pass on the free play. The TD reception came three plays after Lazard had a 26-yard reception on the drive.

Lazard finished with 89 yards on six receptions (nine targets) and two touchdowns. All of those totals are more than he had in a game last year.

He also already has more touchdown catches than he did all last season when he just had one.

Four of his targets and three of Lazard's catches did come with Taylor in the game on the Jets' final possession. His last catch was a 3-yard touchdown with 25 seconds to go and the game out of reach.

Even with the early drop it was a promising start for Lazard as he looks to have more of a role in the offense with Rodgers under center in 2024.

Braelon Allen makes NFL debut with Jets

Former Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen made his NFL debut with the Jets.

Allen, a fourth-round selection by the Jets in the 2024 NFL draft , saw action on the Jets' final possession of the game, catching a 9-yard pass from Taylor and rushing 8 yards on the eventual scoring drive.

The 20-year-old Fond du Lac native is the youngest player in the NFL .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How did Aaron Rodgers do in his first game back with the Jets? Vintage touchdown pass, connection with Allen Lazard and more in loss