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The New York Jets looked like the team their fans imagined they’d be when they traded for Aaron Rodgers on Thursday night as Gang Green dominated the New England Patriots by a score of 24-3.
Particularly exciting for Jets fans was the performance of 40-year-old four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, who truly began to look like the player he was prior to tearing his Achilles on September 11, 2023.
Because the Jets are the Jets, however, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, as a clip of Rodgers shoving head coach Robert Saleh after taking a two-score lead went viral, with Rodgers *looking* a bit annoyed with Saleh.
Rodgers, however, explained the interaction after the game, saying that Saleh usually isn’t a hugger so he was surprised by the hug attempt.
“He’s not a big hugger usually, so I didn’t know he was going for the hug,” Rodgers told the media after the game. “He likes to do the two-hand chest push as well. He talks a lot about two-score leads. So I kind of gave him a push and said, ‘Two-score lead.'”
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— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 20, 2024
“Part of the things we’ve been talking about is to just give the defense a two-score lead. And it was a two-score lead. I guess he just wanted to see something on defense. He just reminded me that, you know, it was a two-score lead,” Saleh said.
In the Thursday Night Football win over Jerrod Mayo’s Pats, Rodgers completed 27/35 yards for 281 yards and two touchdowns. He also looked relatively spry on the ground, as he was mobile in the pocket and carried the ball three times for 18 yards.
With their 24-3 win over the Patriots, the Jets head into their Week 4 matchup against the lowly Denver Broncos with a 2-1 record.