Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets’ offense seemed to be on track to become the efficient and high-scoring team they had hoped for this season. However, a lot has changed in the past three weeks.
After a strong performance in a 24-3 win against New England on September 19, the Jets have struggled in losses to Denver and Minnesota. Rodgers, who is 40 years old, has faced injuries, the offensive line has had issues, and the running game has not been effective.
On Tuesday, Robert Saleh was let go as coach after a 2-3 start, and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was reassigned by interim coach Jeff Ulbrich. Now, it’s Todd Downing’s turn to try to revive the struggling offense.
“It’s definitely a unique week,” Downing said on Friday. “I’ve been in this profession for a long time, and you think you’ve seen a lot of different situations — and this one was certainly new.”
Downing, 44, is the Jets’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and he keeps those roles in the shakeup. While Hackett retains his coordinator title, Downing’s ideas and approach will shape New York’s offense, starting Monday night against Buffalo.
“Getting an opportunity like this, which is an incredible chance, definitely comes with mixed feelings because I care for that man, I love his family,” Downing said about Hackett. “I think highly of him as a coach, and even more as a person and a friend.
“So, a lot of different emotions go through your mind. But this is an amazing opportunity, and I’m excited to do my best to help.”
Downing has been an NFL assistant for a long time, working with several teams before joining Saleh’s staff in New York last season. He has served as offensive coordinator with the Raiders in 2017 and the Titans from 2021 to 2022.
“For every Tennessee offense I faced when Todd was calling plays there,” Ulbrich said, “they were tough, they were relentless, they finished plays, and they controlled the game.”
That’s what Ulbrich wants to see from the Jets’ offense with Downing in charge.
New York is ranked 27th in the league for offense and last in rushing. This is surprising given that Breece Hall, who started the season as one of the NFL’s top all-around running backs, is averaging only 3 yards per carry, much lower than his previous average of 4.5 yards.
“First of all, this team does have a strong run game,” Downing said. “We just haven’t seen it come to fruition consistently enough. Secondly, I think there have become times where you can find people pressing a little bit because there’s an expectation for production and when it’s not met, you can feel a sense of urgency.
“But I believe our guys are ready to answer the bell and make the quarter-turn adjustments we need to make to get this thing on track.”
While changing the entire system in the middle of the season isn’t the best approach, Downing said there are ways to make adjustments.
“I think each week as you prepare for the defense you’re going against, you look for ways to create advantages,” he said. “You look for ways to put stress on the defense.
Sometimes that will involve motion and sometimes that could involve unique formations, things like that. I think it’s going to be a week-by-week basis.”
Rodgers is also coming off his worst performance with the Jets after throwing three interceptions against Minnesota in London. One of those was returned for a touchdown, and another helped seal the loss in the final moments.
“In a two-decade career, he has very few blips on the radar,” Downing said. “And I know that Aaron himself has said that the last couple of weeks aren’t up to standard. But that does not necessarily sound an alarm.
He knows how to prepare. He knows how to diagnose defenses. He knows how to run the show on offense. And that’s what we’re anticipating this week.”
