Aaron Rodgers suffers suspected Achilles injury as Jets edge Bills in thriller
Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who has been the centre of attention following his blockbuster trade from the Green Bay Packers this offseason, left the field with a suspected torn Achilles during the first drive of his time with the New York Jets, who went on to beat the Buffalo Bills in thrilling fashion on Monday night.
Rodgers was clearly hurt after a sack from Leonard Floyd, and had to be carted into the tunnel for further treatment whilst wearing a protective boot. He will undergo the MRI on Tuesday to assess the injury.
Sport can be incredibly cruel, and for Rodgers’ season, and potentially career, to be over after less than five minutes into his Jets debut will be a huge sucker-punch for both the team and the player.
The QB was replaced by back-up Zach Wilson, who initially continued his passing struggles from last season, throwing a poor interception not long after coming on to the field. But the former second overall pick recovered and threw a fourth-quarter touchdown to Garrett Wilson, who made a brilliant juggling catch to tie the score at 13-13.
Running back Breece Hall was the standout on offense on his return from an ACL injury last year, rushing for 127 yards from 10 carries, including a brilliant 83-yard effort in the second quarter. Garrett Wilson had just five receptions, new signing Dalvin Cook was quite throughout, as the Jets completed just 14 passes in the game
Their defense had the larger say in the game, as safety Jordan Whitehead intercepted Josh Allen three times, while also recovering an Allen fumble, which led to a field goal that put the New York up 16-13 with under two minutes to play. Allen then led the Bills on a long drive and Tyler Bass’s last-gasp field goal tied the game.
The drama climatized in overtime, as Xavier Gipson, an undrafted rookie, returned a punt off the Bills’ opening drive for 65 yards to win the game on his NFL debut.
The Jets get their campaign off to a victorious start, but all eyes and attention will be on the health of their star quarterback and whether he’ll be able to play another game for the team this season.