Patriots DT gives blunt Aaron Rodgers assessment after upset

The New York Jets hoped this past summer that quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be his dominant self coming off the torn Achilles he suffered in the opening game of the 2023 regular season. 

Following New York's shocking 25-22 loss at the lowly New England Patriots, which dropped the Jets to 2-6 on the campaign, Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux suggested the version of Rodgers who won four Most Valuable Player Awards during his career no longer exists. 

"I think he’s struggling right now," Godchaux said about Rodgers after Sunday's game, as shared by Andy Vasquez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "A Hall of Fame quarterback like that? Just hate to see him go out that way. But always going to take a win against him to put on your resume." 

Rodgers was slowed by injuries to both of his knees and a low ankle sprain this fall before a new hamstring issue popped up last week. The 40-year-old was hardly terrible against New England, as he completed 17 of 28 passes for 233 yards with a pair of touchdowns, no interceptions and only one sack taken. While he helped the visitors grab a 22-17 lead with under three minutes remaining in regulation, SNY's Ben Krimmel noted that the Jets used all three of their first-half timeouts in their first nine offensive plays of the contest. Rodgers later took a costly delay of game penalty as the Jets lined up for a two-point conversion they ultimately failed to convert with 2:57 left in the fourth quarter. 

According to ESPN stats, Rodgers began Monday ranked 22nd in the league with a 50.3 adjusted QBR among qualified players and an 85.1 passer rating on the season. He tossed 12 touchdown passes and seven picks over the campaign's first eight games. 

New York has now lost five straight and has gone 0-3 since the firing of head coach Robert Saleh.

"He definitely don’t look the same," Godchaux added about Rodgers. "He just don’t look like he can move back there. S---, I can run him down and catch him. He don’t look mobile at all. So it was good for us. We [knew] we [could] get after him and attack him in the passing game, too." 

Rodgers will have to bounce back quickly from whatever is ailing him as he and the Jets will welcome the 6-2 Houston Texans to MetLife Stadium this coming Thursday night. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Texans as one-point favorites for that matchup.