EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers approached his head coach with a message and an assumption.
“Two-score lead,” he told Robert Saleh as the New York Jets went up 14-0 against the New England Patriots.
Then he shoved his coach.
Consider it a miscommunication.
Rodgers and Saleh aligned on their message — on the significance of a two-score lead for the team’s game plan, and the significance of this dominating moment along their road to what would become a 24-3 victory on Thursday Night Football.
But their celebratory gestures conflicted. So as Rodgers went in for the chest shove and Saleh the hug, gravity separated rather than uniting them. They downplayed a moment the internet viewed ominously.
“It wasn’t awkward at all,” Rodgers said. “He’s not a big hugger usually, so I didn’t know he was going for the hug. He likes to do the two-hand chest push as well. But he talks a lot about two-score leads.
“So I just kind of gave him a push and said, ‘two-score lead.’”
The explanation aligned with initial lip-reading attempts, but either way there was reason for confusion: Two-score leads have been few and far between for the Jets in recent years. Reasons for celebrations, quite frankly, have as well.
The Jets will need time to learn how to celebrate, just as they’ve needed time to round into form with the four-time MVP at their helm.
But as the Jets broke a 15-year streak without consecutive wins against the Patriots, a raucous prime time crowd saw more than just division records changing.
For the first time in his Jets tenure, Rodgers looked dominant. The Jets looked excellent. And a complementary brand of football returned to the Jets after an extended vacation away.
The game spoke volumes about what the Jets could become this season and how. And it also voiced a warning for the Patriots beyond just the loss on their record.
Rodgers turns back clock to lead rejuvenated Jets
Allen Lazard was marveling long before the end-zone visits.
The veteran…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/vintage-aaron-rodgers-and-dominant-jets-show-patriots-why-patience-with-qb-drake-maye-could-be-worth-the-wait-072818277.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-09-20 07:28:18
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