In Week 1, Aaron Rodgers checked “returning from an Achilles tear” off his to-do list. In Week 2, he got to celebrate winning a full game as the quarterback of the New York Jets for the first time.
“It was great,” Rodgers said postgame, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “It was a long time coming.”
Rodgers was credited with the victory in the 2023 season opener when he tore his Achilles four plays into his Jets tenure, but Sunday’s 24-17 triumph over the Tennessee Titans was the first time he got to celebrate a victory on the field.
The 40-year-old signal-caller completed 18 of his 30 passes for 176 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions Sunday in Nashville. He orchestrated a seven-play, 74-yard game-winning drive in the fourth quarter that was capped off with a 20-yard rushing touchdown by Braelon Allen.
“These are kind of the games you look back on late in the season and you’re thankful you won these, because if we want to be a great team, we have to win in these type of environments against a team like that,” Rodgers added.
Allen was also responsible for one of Rodgers’ passing touchdowns with Breece Hall catching the other. The Jets quarterback credited Hall for creating his score.
“I’ll tell you exactly how it evolved,” Rodgers said. “I screwed up the clock and we called the timeout. Breece comes over and goes, ‘Hey, throw me a go ball if there’s a ‘backer out there. I said, ‘OK.'”
The Jets and Rodgers face the New England Patriots in Week 3 on Thursday night.
