Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are at a crucial point in a season that is quickly shifting from hopeful to potentially disastrous just seven weeks in.
They have a record of 2-5 and are on a four-game losing streak, which has quieted talk of making a deep playoff run. The main goal for the Jets now is simply to win again.
“There will be some ups and downs, some tough moments,” Rodgers said after the Jets’ 37-15 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night. “You’ve got to keep doing the little things. That’s what it comes down to. We just don’t do the little things well enough, consistently enough — myself included.”
New York added Davante Adams last week to what owner Woody Johnson called one of the franchise’s most talented rosters. Haason Reddick finally ended his long contract holdout and joined the team on Monday.
But is it too late for these changes? Will they make any difference? “Everything’s in front of us,” defensive lineman Solomon Thomas insisted.
Rodgers raised some concerns after the game, saying he thought the team’s energy was “flat” — both before the game and at halftime when the Jets were leading the Steelers 15-13.
“Me, personally, I didn’t feel that way,” linebacker Quincy Williams said about the team’s energy before the game. “Everyone’s different.”
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who is now 0-2 since taking over for the fired Robert Saleh, mentioned that there’s an element of “pressing a little bit to make things happen.” He didn’t think the team looked flat at the start of the game but felt there was a drop in energy at halftime.
“We have all got to take a deep breath,” he said, “and just do our job, and collectively.”
Rodgers contributed to shifting the momentum to Pittsburgh late in the second quarter when he threw a pass to Garrett Wilson that was intercepted by Beanie Bishop, marking the first of two picks by the Steelers’ rookie cornerback.
Russell Wilson then drove Pittsburgh down the field and threw an 11-yard touchdown to George Pickens.
“It did mess with our energy a little bit,” Thomas said, agreeing with Rodgers’ view of the halftime mood. After that, the Steelers kept up their momentum. The Jets didn’t score again.
“When you come out like that, you’re disappointed, you’re frustrated and you want to make changes, you want to make fixes,” Thomas said. “So, we’re hurt, but today, we’re optimistic and we’re moving on.”
