With 6:11 left in the third quarter, Aaron Rodgers was taken down on a third-and-10 play from his own 14-yard line. The four-time NFL MVP fell awkwardly, and cameras caught him screaming in pain. He stayed on the ground, clutching his leg, as medical staff rushed to his side.
“I’m definitely banged up. My foot got caught in the pile. It looks like just a low ankle sprain,” Rodgers revealed on Sunday, October 6.
Eventually, Rodgers stood up under his own power and limped to the sideline. He was heading toward the blue medical tent when a roughing-the-kicker penalty on the Vikings gave the Jets a fresh set of downs. Seizing the moment, Rodgers declared, “screw it, I’m going back out there.”
Reporters asked if his knee was also an issue, noting that he had been grabbing it while on the ground.
“There were a lot of things making noises on the way down. That’s true,” Rodgers admitted.
Rodgers Barely Escapes Injury Once Again
For the second consecutive week, Rodgers limped off the field after enduring another physical game.
SNY’s Connor Hughes described it as a “concerning development” over the past two games.
“The punishment Aaron Rodgers is taking is alarming. He finished both games against the Broncos and Vikings, but this isn’t sustainable. Eventually, he won’t be able to get up. The Jets have allowed nine sacks and 21 hits over their last eight quarters. Rodgers can still throw with the best and move well, too. The notion that he can’t is lazy. But he can’t keep taking hits like this,” Hughes stated on social media.
In addition to the physical toll, Rodgers struggled statistically. He completed 29 of 54 passes for 244 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
One of the most costly interceptions occurred at a crucial moment.
Sam Darnold threw a toss to running back Ty Chandler, but the ball bounced off Chandler’s face. Jets linebacker Quincy Williams recovered it and returned it 15 yards.
Trailing by just three points, the Jets suddenly had a prime opportunity to tie or even take the lead. But that wasn’t how it played out.
On third-and-six, Rodgers threw an interception to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkle, who returned it 63 yards for a touchdown. With the extra point, the Vikings extended their lead to 10-0, and the Jets trailed for the rest of the game.
With the 23-17 loss, the Jets dropped to 2-3 on the season. ESPN’s Rich Cimini noted that this marks just the “third time in Aaron Rodgers’ career he’s had a losing record through the first five games of a season.”
It was also the first time Rodgers had thrown two interceptions in the first quarter of a game.
