![]() ![]() They had acquired Rodgers to be the missing piece that an elite defense, a talented group of skill position players and an evolving nucleus of young talent needed. Gipson’s punt return injected a tinge of optimism back into the Jets’ mood. The strange confluence of events turned the palpable pregame buzz at MetLife Stadium into a somber, defeated feeling by halftime. Zach Wilson is back as the Jets’ quarterback, sooner than anyone thought, unless the team acquires another passer. He went 14-of-21 for 140 yards, a touchdown and an interception.Īnd now, the Jets’ season could hinge on him. It was nearly the same spot as his catch from Rodgers in the preseason, this time with a different distributor.Īt least on Monday, the other Wilson - the quarterback who lost his starting quarterback job last season and lost it again when the Jets acquired Rodgers - was serviceable. They made a juggernaut Bills offense from past seasons seem mundane.Īt least on Monday, Garrett Wilson tapped a touchdown to himself after Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White appeared to break up the pass. Jordan Whitehead snagged three interceptions, and the defense collectively forced four Josh Allen turnovers. He could try trading a draft pick to snatch one from another team, too.Īt least for one game, though, the defense carried the Jets. General manager Joe Douglas could try to sign a quarterback from the scrap heap to compete with Zach Wilson. Aaron Rodgers left on a cart with what’s feared to be a season-ending Achilles injury. Monday night was their introduction to that brutal reality, and the Jets now face critical decisions in the coming days, especially if the injury ends up being an Achilles rupture. What if Rodgers got hurt? What if he couldn’t play for an extended period of time? What happened then? ![]() They got the quarterback they needed in the strangest way possible - with a darkness retreat and a “Pat McAfee Show” declaration - giving them opportunity to for a Super Bowl run.īut few allowed themselves to think of the worst-case scenario. The first-quarter sequence manifested the worst type of irony because everything that needed to go right for the Jets this offseason had unfolded perfectly. If only there were a sixth episode of “Hard Knocks” on Tuesday night.īut the Jets’ season-opening victory against the Bills was overshadowed by the future Hall of Famer - the person who was single-handedly tasked with saving their franchise’s short-term trajectory - exiting with what Saleh later labeled an Achilles injury that likely ends Rodgers’ season. Robert Saleh ripped off his headset and sprinted toward the end zone. Xavier Gipson’s game-winning punt return provided momentary ecstasy for Robert Saleh and the Jets. A cart took him to the tunnel for X-rays.Īnd then Gipson’s game-winning 65-yard punt return touchdown in overtime, which sealed a come-from-behind 22-16 victory over the Bills, gave the Jets a reason to start dreaming again. He hobbled over to the medical tent with trainers. Rodgers sat down on the MetLife Stadium field. ![]() Leonard Floyd sacked Rodgers, with the 39-year-old quarterback’s lower left leg collapsing underneath him, and all the promise of the Jets’ offseason collapsed with it. There wasn’t a version that could have accounted for the punt return touchdown from undrafted wideout Xavier Gipson that ended the game Monday night, either.Īt first, it was the nightmare that every Jets fan - every dreamer who thought Aaron Rodgers could replicate Broadway Joe’s Super Bowl III success - feared yet no one expected. Even the cruelest “Hard Knocks” twist would not have plotted what happened on the fourth snap of the first drive that started the Jets’ season.
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