We all waited for Aaron Rodgers, and he didn’t disappoint.
The much-anticipated quarterback Messiah for the Jets finally made his appearance against the Giants at Met Life Stadium Saturday night in the preseason finale for both teams.
The wait was over. Rodgers has been seen at Knicks’ and Rangers’ games, at a Taylor Swift concert, and around the Metropolitan area brandishing his presence as a new New York icon. Now, it was time for him to be on the football field. And it was his first preseason appearance since 2018.
Jets’ fans would employ all of their good-luck rituals to thwart of the evils of the past that shelved Joe Namath and Chad Pennington with preseason injuries.
They would hold their collective breaths.
And they would soon breathe a sigh of relief and begin to create playoff pleasantries in their heads.
Rodgers looked in season for in his two series against mainly a second-team Giants’ defense. He did escape a sack, kept his balance, and flicked a short pass toward the sideline as he fell there a few feet back.
He handled some pressure by spinning completely around and finding Tyler Conklin on one completion. His lone miscue was ahigh, overthrown pass down the middle.
On the night, he was 5-for-8 for 47 yards, the highlight being a perfectly placed ball to Garrett Wilson on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Naturally, it has become a highlight reel.
It became apparent that Rodgers has some solid chemistry already with Wilson, who appears headed for a blockbuster season after his stellar rookie season.
In the end, it was brief, and it was foretelling.
Rodgers will have a heavy passing attack this winter, and a running game to keep it honest with Dalvin Cook and a limited Breece hall, neither of whom played against the Giants. Michael Carter had one carry during Rodgers’ stay, and Zonovan Knight got the bulk of the work.
What wasn’t that evident for Rodgers was the play of the Jets’ offensive line facing a first-team defense. Mekhi Becton started at right tackle and looked fine, and we won’t get a true reading until the Bills come to town for the Monday Night opener.
Still, Jets’ fans can rest assured for the time being.
Even for a brief respite, their savior has arrived, and their years of suffering have been temporarily halted.