Aaron Rodgers insisted the New York Jets have "no excuses" after the AFC East franchise were soundly beaten by the San Francisco 49ers to open their 2024 NFL season.
On Monday night, Rodgers ’ Jets fell 32-19 to the 49ers. The vaunted Jets defense had no answer to San Francisco’s brutal rushing attack , conceding eight successive scoring drives throughout the game while Jordan Mason tallied 147 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries in relief of Christian McCaffrey .
But all eyes were on Rodgers. Making his first start since tearing his Achilles four snaps into his Jets debut a year ago, the four-time MVP showed all-too-infrequent flashes of his spectacular best as he adjusted to the speed of the game given his absence.
Asked if a lack of chemistry with new offensive pieces contributed to the offense's struggles, Rodgers refused to make any excuses. Despite the Jets' defensive struggles, the quarterback took accountability and maintained a positive outlook.
He said: “I mean that’s an excuse, for sure. I’m not going to use that, I don’t think we should. We expect greatness when we step out on the field.
“There were moments, for sure, moments that felt really good, but not sustained. Felt like if we could just get a first down we’d be rolling, then we had those three-and-outs that really hurt us. I think a lot of stuff is correctable, which is great for coaches. It’s frustrating for players because we know how close we were/are. But no time for that.
“We’re going to move on to Tennessee quickly then we’ve got a game four days after that, so it is a tough opener for us, travel-wise and schedule-wise. But no excuses. We’ve got to play better and I’ve got to play better, and we’ll bounce back next week.”
Addressing his return from the lengthy injury, Rodgers added: “It’s been a while. Felt great. A lot of gratitude just to be back out in pads. So many people that helped me get back to this spot, so I’m thankful to my surgeon, my PT, my loved ones, my friends, the staff here, training staff, to help me get back, it was really cool.
“Obviously wanted to take a shot and feel the physicality of it. Once I threw a couple of balls and took a shot it felt good, felt like I was into the game.”
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While he lasted longer than four snaps this time around , Rodgers and the offense struggled to find a rhythm aside from their scoring drive on their third possession. The 40-year-old - competing in his 20th NFL season - connected with Garrett Wilson on four passes for 45 yards while Breece Hall surged into the end zone to score a three-yard touchdown and give the Jets the lead with the drive.
“I mean, it felt great,” Rodgers said of the first-quarter scoring drive. “We had some on the ball plays there where I have kind of a menu to choose from. Luckily chose the right ones in those situations, made the proper reads.
“But I felt like the protection on that drive was especially good. I mean, it was great all night but on that drive I had a lot of time to throw. They didn’t bring a lot of pressure, played a lot of soft coverages, a lot of two-high stuff. They mixed in some man here and there, but overall they were stopping the run with their front and they were playing pretty soft in the back end.
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“But we need to do a better job, starting the second half there, get back in the game. We put our defense in a tough spot, I did.”
After the scoring drive, the offense only gained 21 yards on the following 10 plays and, aside from Rodgers’ 36-yard touchdown strike to Allen Lazard on a defensive offside free play, the unit struggled.
Rodgers finished with 144 yards and a touchdown and an interception apiece on a difficult first full competitive game for the Jets. The loss to the 49ers was the lowest time of possession in any of the 225 starts in Rodgers’ storied career, while the quarterback only completed passes to three different receivers (Wilson, Hall, and Lazard), which is also the lowest number in any game of his career.
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