Robert Saleh feels better about Jets’ 0-1 start than their 1-0 record last year because of Aaron Rodgers
The New York Jets were 1-0 last season despite Aaron Rodgers‘ season-ending Achilles injury
Now, the Jets find themselves 0-1 following their 32-19 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
However, Robert Saleh feels much more optimistic about this year’s team.
“I know we’re going to get the defense fixed,” Saleh said Tuesday. “That’s not a problem. If that’s a problem, it’s not a problem, and I know we’re going to get a lot better from Week 1 to Week 2.
“We’ve got a great opportunity this week against Tennessee on a short week.”
It’s understandable why Saleh feels better about this version of Gang Green. After losing Rodgers four snaps into last season’s opener, the Jets had to rely on Zach Wilson, who was uneven at best in his previous two seasons as the starter. With Wilson under center for most of last season, the Jets stumbled to a 7-10 finish for the second consecutive year. All that promise and hope came crashing down on the franchise early.
Although the offense was far from perfect against the 49ers, Rodgers played 38 snaps before backup Tyrod Taylor replaced him during the fourth quarter in a game that was well in hand.
“He was a calm force on the sideline and I think last night provided a lot of closure for him with regards to finishing a game and knocking that out, and I think I speak for everybody, especially on the offensive side of the ball, there’s a lot of confidence on that side,” Saleh said.
Rodgers completed 13-of-21 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and an interception (which came on a tipped pass in the third quarter). After not playing in a full game in 20 months (January 2023), Rodgers was noticeably rusty at times, missing a few throws and not looking as decisive as he has been in the past.
But there was some positives from Rodgers’ performance. He still showed the elite arm strength and ball placement that he has displayed during his almost 20-year career.
“We expect greatness when we step on the field,” Rodgers said after Monday’s game. “There were moments that felt really good but not sustained. We felt like if we could just get a first down, we’d be rolling.
“We had those three-and-outs, which really hurt us. I think a lot of stuff is correctable, which is great for coaches but frustrating for players. We know how close we were/are, but there’s no time for that.
“We’re going to move on to Tennessee quickly and then we’ve got a game four days after that. This is a tough opener for us, travel-wise and schedule-wise, but no excuses.”
Rodgers is noticeably still working on chemistry with his teammates after not playing in the preseason games. But the Jets were efficient when they had the ball, converting on 6-of-10 third-down attempts.
The Jets offense had the ball for a little over 21 minutes, compared to over 38 for the 49ers. Much of that stems from the Jets’ poor rushing defense, which allowed 180 rushing yards, most of which came from Jordan Mason, who started for Christian McCaffrey (calf), who was inactive.
“It wasn’t for a lack of effort as much as it was for guys just trying to do too much,” Saleh said. “When you play a team like San Francisco, they’ve been together eight years, they’re very precise in what they do. It’s as simple as just do your job. Do your job and we would’ve been in much better shape. Like I said, in the second half, I felt like we got to it.
“We played better in the run game, they had the one explosive [play], but it’s definitely going to get fixed. I’m not discouraged in any way, obviously, they executed a hell of a lot better than we did and we’ll be better for it.”
Injury report
Cornerback Michael Carter II left Monday’s game against the 49ers due to an ankle injury that has plagued him since training camp. However, he is expected to play in Sunday’s game against the Titans.
“It’s going to be something all year,” Saleh said. “When you got a high ankle sprain, you’re going to get zingers. It’s just something that he’s going have to deal with all year. He could have come back in. We just held him up.”
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