Quinnen Williams lives in the Packers’ backcourt.
Sauce Gardner makes middle school life miserable.
Another rough day for Aaron Rodgers as the New York Jets beat Green Bay 27-10 at Lambeau Field. The loss, the Packers’ second straight after a 3-1 start, was enough to serve as a wake-up call for a stagnant Green Bay offense. The Jets, meanwhile, improved to 4-2 thanks to a group of young defenses teaming up as an NFL force.
Green Bay has struggled since Sunday and found itself on the verge of going into the half without scoring. Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a field goal 36 seconds before halftime to give the Packers a 3-3 tie going into halftime.
But there wasn’t much life for the Packers in the second half, as Rodgers struggled to find the time or space to operate Green Bay’s passing game. Meanwhile, the Jets led 10-3 with a touchdown on their second possession of the third quarter. The game was nearly over when Michael Clemons blocked the Packers’ punt on the ensuing Green Bay possession. Will Parker picked up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, extending New York’s lead to 17-3.
The Packers will finally find the end zone when Rodgers passes to Alan Lazard. But that was the end of Green Bay’s scoring output, as the Jets’ defense took over the rest of the time.
Jets defense wreaks havoc
Williams showed up in the trenches, and the Jets often put pressure on Rodgers, who was already dealing with an injured thumb on his throwing hand. Williams fired Rodgers twice and hit him three more times. He also tallied the loss of two tackles and made his presence on special teams known.
Green Bay attempted to break a scoreless tie early in the second quarter with a 47-yard field goal from Mason Crosby. But Williams came under pressure in the middle, recording the first of two blocks for the Jets special.
When Rodgers did find time to pass, he repeatedly found Gardner killing his plans in middle school. Gardner often overshadowed Rodgers’ receiving options and forced him to look elsewhere. When Rodgers tested Gardner, the rookie cornerback was tasked with two pass-breaks, including a deep third on Lazard, as Green Bay looked to make a late comeback.
After the game, Gardner celebrated with a cheese head. It didn’t go well at Lambeau Field.
Can the Packers find a solution to their offensive woes?
Rodgers finished the day with 26 of 41 passes for 246 yards and touchdowns. He had four sacks and nine quarterback hits and conceded.
On Sunday, he averaged a career-low 231.4 yards per game and 19.4 points per game, 22nd in the NFL. Sunday’s efforts did little to ease concerns about a 39-year-old quarterback playing with the help of All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, who didn’t leave. The Packers produced just 278 yards in a 10-point home run.
Meanwhile, the Jets had a dominant run without needing much from Zach Wilson. The second-year quarterback completed 10 of 18 passes for 110 yards without scoring. He didn’t turn the ball over, which was all New York needed as running back Breece Hall ran for 116 yards and a touchdown. The Jets defense did the rest.