– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY — It took 375 days, but the Aaron Rodgers dream home debut in the shadows of the Big Apple delivered exactly what he and New York Jets fans wanted to see, so much so that the fanbase starved for sustained team and quarterback success chanted “Aa-ron! Rod-gers!” a few times towards the end of the game.
A far cry from last year’s Monday Night home opener, the New York Jets saw Rodgers move the team down the field the way they envisioned when they acquired the now-40-year-old, as he threw for 281 yards and two scores in the Jets’ 24-3 dominating win over the New England Patriots inside MetLife Stadium on Thursday night. More than just the yards and completion percentage, which was a touch under 80 percent as he went 27-for-35 on the night, the most impressive part of Rodgers’ game was his ability to deftly move out of the pocket and extend plays before completing a number of passes down the field.
Visions of Rodgers rolling out surely elicited thoughts of worst-case scenarios, especially after last year’s home opener ended with Rodgers’ Jets’ debut lasting all of four plays before he tore his Achilles tendon while getting sacked against the Buffalo Bills.
Can Rodgers still move around? Will he get hurt again? Is Father Time one step away from dealing Rodgers’ prime football the final death blow?
As it turned out, time stood still and then went backwards, as Rodgers looked every bit of the four-time league MVP that he is, from completing quick passes on run-pass options — including on his short touchdown passes to Allen Lazard and Garrett Wilson — to stretching the ball downfield, particular to tight end Ty Conklin. When the
“It felt great,” Rodgers said. “I was feeling real good out there. I felt good in pregame. I told you guys after Week 1 that it’s going to be a process and I’ll continue to extend plays once I feel more comfortable. This was kind of a first step in playing like I know I’m capable of playing.
He also leaked his satisfaction about what version of himself he thought he displayed on the same field that he was carted off the last time he took the field for a regular-season game.
“I felt like I was, you know, myself [from] quite a few years ago.”
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