Bill Belichick on same wavelength as Aaron Rodgers as Bills defense scrutinized

Legendary New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was on the same wavelength as New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers as he called an incredible play on Monday night against the Buffalo Bills .

Despite a season-best performance from Rodgers, the veteran quarterback was unable to inspire the Jets to victory against the Bills in the 23-20 defeat. The franchise’s first game since the firing of head coach Robert Saleh didn’t yield any immediate bounce to form as interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was unable to stop New York dropping to a 2-4 record early in the NFL season.

Having returned to full fitness after missing almost the entirety of last season, Rodgers has found his form, dropping a campaign-highest passing figures, going 23-for-35 on his throws for a distance of 294 yards. One such play saw the former Green Bay Packers Super Bowl winner nail a Hail Mary at the end of the second quarter.

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Setting up a play just off the 50-yard line, Rodgers looked short of options as the clock ticked down. With his defense protecting the quarterback, Belichick cried out for Rodgers to attempt a Hail Mary. Appearing on the ‘Manningcast’ alongside Peyton and Eli Manning, the legendary New England Patriots head coach called out what he would be wanting from his signal caller.

“I’d Hail Mary it, I would Hail Mary it,” Belichick said as Rodgers attempted to find space and a passing option. And shortly after, the veteran did so as he launched a throw straight into the end zone where it was caught by Allen Lazard before the ball dropped out of the zone; however, the touchdown was given by the officials who conferred on field.

“That’s Aaron Rodgers, I'll tell ya, Buffalo's had a lot of trouble with these end-of-the-half, end-of-the-game plays like this,” Belichick added as the three NFL icons all sat back in shock and admired Rodgers’ fourth Hail Mary of his illustrious career. The on-field decision was confirmed after review with Lazard clearly holding onto the ball throughout his motion of grabbing the pass and landing on the turf.

Peyton then took the time to ask the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach what he would be telling his defense if he were in charge of the Bills. “I think you’ve got to get back there and put somebody who is big and can jump back there to take that away,” Belichick said of the Bills’ setup.

“It’s a tough situation for the defense. I would check the defense if all three guys were over together then I would play some type of rolled coverage over there that could handle the Hail Mary and the triple-out situation.

“But it’s a great job by Aaron, great job by the Jets of having the right play on, being able to go deep against this and not try to get the ball out of bounds, but just take advantage of the no-pass rush and three guys in the end zone. Great play.”

The Jets travel to Pittsburgh on Sunday to face the Steelers, while the Bills are also in action on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans as they look to extend their 4-2 record.