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Last month, Aaron Rodgers stressed the need for Kudos to him and his New York Jets teammates for remaining grounded despite any success on the field. It turns out that this may not be a big problem.
The Jets fell to 2-3 on the season with a 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday.
Rodgers had a tough day, completing 29 of 54 passes for 244 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
The last turnover sealed the victory for the Vikings. On third-and-10 at the Vikings’ 26-yard line inside the final minute, Rodgers and wide receiver Mike Williams were not on the same page and this resulted in an interception by Minnesota cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
The first of those picks went for six points as Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel intercepted a pass and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
JJ McCarthy ,jjmccarthy09
I hope one day I look as good as Andrew Van Ginkel running with a football. #aura @AndrewVanZinkel
Once again, New York’s offense could not take advantage of the strong performance of its defense. The Jets held the Vikings to 253 yards passing and did not allow the Minnesota offense to reach the end zone.
The blame for the team’s start goes beyond just Rodgers. However, the franchise acquired the four-time MVP in hopes he was the missing piece, and he doesn’t look like the quarterback who can lead New York to the promised land.
Sam Darnold fared worse than Rodgers in terms of overall production. He threw for 179 yards and one interception on 31 attempts. Still, it would be nice for the Vikings quarterback to get one over on his old team.
One concern for Minnesota is that the Darnold renaissance may be over because this is the player fans have seen during his career, not the same player who had such a strong start to 2024.
It’s too early to say if the Jets have to win the game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, but the odds are close. If New York falls flat, fan anger in the Big Apple will reach fever pitch.
The Vikings could at least regroup before facing a divisional enemy. Minnesota is off next week and will host the Detroit Lions in Week 7. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff may spend a lot of their free time evaluating Darnold and figuring out how to get his strength back.