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Despite the fact that the offense he’s coaching hasn’t squared a touchdown in over 2.5 games (11 quarters), Aaron Rodgers is sticking by embattled New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
During his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers was asked about the Jets offensive struggles, which has led to them losing consecutive games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders, dropping their record to 4-5.
“Yeah, yeah, I see it [the criticism of the offense]. I won MVP twice in the same offense, so I’m a believer. I’m a believer in the offense,” Rodgers told McAfee and Co.
“There are a lot of positions, you have to play better. But, yeah, it’s easy right now to throw it at the usual suspects, Zach [Wilson] and Nathaniel, but there’s a lot of positions that need to play better.”
It’s certainly no surprise that Rodgers is sticking by Nathaniel Hackett as he’s the reason the Jets even hired him following his disastrous lone season as a head coach in Denver last year.
Currently, the Jets have the third-lowest scoring offense in the NFL at 16 points per game, which is ahead of only the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. It’s even a point less per game than the Carolina Panthers, who are quarterbacked by struggling rookie signal caller Bryce Young.
Given how crowded the AFC Wild Card race is, the Jets are going to have to put together a winning streak (and fast) if they want to have any hope of giving Rodgers a legitimate reason to return to the field this season.
While Rodgers told NBC on Sunday that he’s aiming to play in mid-December, it’s difficult to imagine him taking the risk if the Jets sit at 5-8 and are on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
This weekend, the Jets will be taking on the Buffalo Bills, who are also spiraling following a home loss to the Denver Broncos and the subsequent firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.