Aaron Rodgers rolled out to his right and threw a pass to Malachi Corley a few yards downfield.
Rodgers expected Corley to move in one direction, but the rookie receiver went the other way, and the ball fell to the ground.
That play summed up a tough day for the New York Jets’ offense. An upset Rodgers stormed off the field, and any momentum the Jets had from their win over the Houston Texans 10 days earlier was gone.
Rodgers passed for 151 yards, and the Jets only managed to score two field goals in a 31-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The defense wasn’t much better, allowing four touchdowns on the Cardinals’ first five drives.
New York (3-7) has now lost six out of their last seven games, sinking deeper in the AFC East standings.
“I thought after a big win on Thursday night, with a long week to prepare, we were going to come out with a lot of energy and win the game,” Rodgers said. “But we didn’t come out with great energy on either side of the ball. Offensively, you’re not going to beat anyone scoring six points.”
Rodgers completed 22 of 35 passes, but only one of them went for more than 10 yards. The Jets moved the ball at times, but struggled to finish in the red zone. Down 24-6 in the third quarter, New York had one more chance to score a touchdown, but Rodgers fumbled after a sack on a fourth-and-3 at the Cardinals’ 11-yard line, ending any hope for a comeback.
Rodgers kept it quiet during the postgame press conference.
“I missed a couple of throws, for sure,” Rodgers said. “And situationally we were just really bad.”
Rodgers wasn’t the only one to struggle. New York’s defense, which was ranked second in the league against the pass, had a tough day as well. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals tore them apart.
Murray completed 22 of 24 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, setting a franchise record with 17 consecutive completions at one point. He also ran for 21 yards and two touchdowns, including a 12-yard run in the third quarter where he weaved through three defenders to score.
Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said the team’s tackling wasn’t good enough. Arizona led 24-6 at halftime and averaged more than 7 yards per play.
“We’ve got to get better at it,” Ulbrich said. “We made a huge emphasis on it this week, but obviously, not enough. We’ve got to take the extra step, wrap up, and get more players to the ball.”
A key moment for the defense came in the second quarter when the Cardinals faced a third-and-7 at their own 33-yard line. Murray threw a short pass to Trey McBride, and Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner was in position to stop McBride well short of the first down.
But McBride broke free from Gardner, leaped over another defender, and gained 17 yards, which fired up the Cardinals’ sideline and deflated the Jets. A few plays later, Murray threw a 9-yard touchdown to Marvin Harrison Jr. in the back of the end zone, putting Arizona ahead 21-6.
The day didn’t improve for the Jets, and time is running out for them to make a playoff push.
“We’ve got to be better, I’ve got to be better,” Gardner said. “I’ve got to make that tackle.”
