"DOWN BUT NOT OUT!!"

“NEVER FORGET”. A moment of silence between 80,000 fans at METLIFE Stadium and 22.4 million watching at home closed week one of the NFL on Monday Night Football. Jets QB Aaron Rodgers ran on the field holding the America Flag during pregame introductions, a poignant moment as it showed how sports are the rallying cry for Americans to bond together.

Four plays into the 2023 season the narrative for the Jets changed as 39-year-old Rodgers ruptured his Achilles while trying to avoid a sack. To say the Jets Fans and the entire NFL were in disbelief is  an understatement, as this storyline will have to be put on hold.

The Jets were down but not out as back up QB Zack Wilson and a ferocious defense regrouped to pull off an improbable victory in OT over the Bills 22-16. The win in overtime was punctuated by“Hard Knocks” darling Xavier Gipson returning a punt 65 yards for the game winning score. The defense once again stifled Bills QB Josh Allen into a pedestrian showing as safety Jordan Whitehead led the way with three interceptions. The Jets forced Buffalo into four turnovers overall, and they sacked Josh Allen five times.

Wilson didn’t have a lot of reps with the first team and threw an early interception but bounced back and was able to find WR Garrett Wilson in the endzone, who made a spectacular catch to tie the game at 13.

 

RB Breece Hall started the excitement as he ripped off a 26 yard run on the first play of the game. He then followed that up with a 83 yard burst in the second quarter which led to a field goal. Hall finished the game with 127 yards rushing on only 12 carries. Hall and newly acquired Dalvin Cook will be of great importance to the Jets success this year and the team ran for 164 yards overall. Wilson ended the night 14-21 for 140 yards and WR Allen Lazzard led the receivers with 46 of them.

The 1969 world champion Mets had a slogan “You Gotta Believe!!” Jets fans may want to latch on to that as the emotional roller coaster the players faced was enough to fracture the psyche of any team. HC Robert Saleh and his entire coaching staff did a tremendous job pulling everyone together and the pedigree of the Jets is what lead them to victory.

Gang Green will face a tough task next week as they visit the 1-0 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The
importance this week will be for Zach Wilson to get more reps with the first team and the coordinators to open the playbook that was severely limited against Buffalo.