Aaron Rodgers' stellar performance is saving grace of NY Jets' Week 1 setback

The NY Jets stumbled out of the starting gate on Monday, falling short in a 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. The game marked the return of Aaron Rodgers, and while his team may not have impressed, the four-time MVP looked the part.

No, we're probably never going to see MVP-level Rodgers again. His mobility and escapability have clearly been hindered by age and his Achilles injury, but other than that, Rodgers looked like Rodgers.

The 40-year-old finished with an unspectacular stat line, completing 13-of-21 passes for 167 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, but a closer look at his game paints a very different picture. Rodgers was excellent on Monday night.

Rodgers finished with a stellar Pro Football Focus grade of 86.2 which ranked fifth among all quarterbacks in Week 1. His 84.4 PFF passing grade ranked fourth, one spot ahead of Patrick Mahomes.

The underlying metrics and the actual game film indicate that Rodgers was significantly better than his box score numbers would suggest.

Aaron Rodgers was the star of the show for the NY Jets in Week 1

Rodgers may have only completed 62 percent of his passes, but his 71.4 percent adjusted completed percentage — accounting for all on-target passes — signals that his ball placement was mostly on point.

Rodgers' only interception came courtesy of a tipped ball that was not counted as a turnover-worthy play. The future Hall of Famer was one of just five quarterbacks to finish Week 1 with multiple "big-time throws" and no turnover-worthy plays, per PFF.

This is despite the fact that the Jets' defense allowed eight consecutive scoring drives. The defense was on the field for nearly 40 of the 60 minutes of play on Monday night. Rodgers barely even had the ball.

Part of that was due to the Jets' inability to establish any sort of a running game. Blame it on Nathaniel Hackett, blame it on Breece Hall, or blame it on the offensive line. Whatever the case, the Jets' offense was one-dimensional in Week 1.

But despite the calamity around Rodgers, the Jets remained at least semi-competitive because of who they had under center. Rodgers made multiple throws throughout the night that only a handful of QBs in the NFL can make.

Again, his mobility isn't what it once was. We're not going to see the 2020 or 2021 versions of Rodgers again. But he proved in Week 1 that he's still got it. If he's even 80 percent of his former MVP self, the Jets still have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

The Jets need to figure out their defense, specifically their run defense. They need to find a way to get more players involved on offense. Don't get it twisted — there are genuine concerns about this Jets team.

But as long as Aaron Rodgers plays like Aaron Rodgers, they're going to have every opportunity to win games this season. If this was Rodgers' first game back from a torn Achilles, the future still looks bright for this Jets offense.

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