Aaron Rodgers left his home field on his own terms Thursday night — the first time he’s done so as the New York Jets' quarterback.
In his second home opener for the Jets, Rodgers had his best game with the team, leading New York to a 24-3 win over the New England Patriots.
Rodgers’ home debut with the Jets last season was limited to only four plays after he tore an Achilles. On Thursday, he completed 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
Rodgers looked comfortable after having thrown for under 200 yards in each of his first two starts this season. Not only did he clear that benchmark against the Patriots; he looked incredibly mobile only a little over a year after tore the Achilles on the same field. Rodgers routinely extended plays running outside the pocket, and he also scrambled for 18 yards.
Overall, New York thoroughly dominated New England. The Jets had 27 first downs to the Patriots’ 11. They outgained New England 400 yards to 139. They averaged 5.7 yards per play, compared with 2.9. They also controlled the ball for a whopping 40 minutes and 4 seconds of the game.
Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett was 12-of-18 passing with 98 yards. Rookie Drake Maye came in for relief on the team’s last drive. He was 4-of-8 for 22 yards, also running for 12. The No. 3 overall pick was almost intercepted on his first pass, and he was sacked twice, but he also led the team into the red zone before the clock expired.
The Patriots fell 1-2.
The Jets are 2-1 for the first time since 2015, which is also the last year they beat New England at home.
Final: Jets 24, Patriots 3
It’s over. Drake Maye’s first drive in the NFL runs out the clock, and the Jets have a 24-3 win over the Patriots.
It’s New York’s first 2-1 start since 2015...which is also the last year the team beat the Pats at home.
Aaron Rodgers looked comfortable, throwing for 281 yards and two touchdowns. He moved around well, getting outside the pocket to find receivers and also scrambling for 18 yards.
The Pats fell to 1-2 with the loss.
Jets punt ... Drake Maye is going to make his debut
Aaron Rodgers surprisingly came back on the field, but the Jets’ drive ended after six plays.
More excitingly, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye — the third overall pick in April — is about to see his first NFL action. Maybe we will actually remember this game now.
Patriots punt again!
Stop me if you’ve heard this before — the Patriots punted. New England did manage a first down on its most recent drive. It still somehow only went 8 yards.
Jets get three after fumble
After Rhamondre Stevenson coughed it up, the Jets took advantage and added three points to their lead. New York is now up 24-3 with a little over 10 minutes left in the fourth. Don’t expect we’ll see much more of Aaron Rodgers after this score.
Patriots fumble!
Did the Patriots offense get going? Nope! Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled on the first play of the drive and the Jets have the ball deep in New England territory.
Jets punt to start the fourth
After running one play with a mile to go on third down, the Jets punted less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Let’s see if the Patriots can finally sustain some offense.
Jets leading after three quarters
The Jets lead 21-3 after three quarters as the Patriots can’t get anything going offensively.
It’s been a clean, comfortable re-home debut for Aaron Rodgers, who’s thrown for 250 yards and two touchdowns so far.
Patriots get to Jets' 23, somehow punt anyway
The Patriots were seemingly in position to score again, only to have a holding penalty and sack move them from the Jets’ 23-yard-line all the way back to the 45.
The Pats punted again.
Jets 21, Patriots 3
Another long Jets drive has resulted in a score. An 11-play, 66-yard sojourn that took over seven minutes off the clock resulted in a Garrett Wilson two-yard score — Wilson’s first receiving touchdown thrown by Aaron Rodgers.
Patriots punting again to start the third
New England goes three-and-out on its first drive of the second half. The Patriots didn’t even have the ball for 90 seconds.