Eye-popping stat shows exactly how much Aaron Rodgers changes the Jets

I'll be honest. I was skeptical of this Aaron Rodgers gambit working out for the New York Jets. Between the torn Achilles at 40 years old, the deluge of off-field distractions, and the generally dire state of affairs in the Jets organization, it sure felt like this was destined for failure.

After the Jets' Week 3 demolition of the New England Patriots, however, it's hard not to feel reasonably positive about New York's chances in a wide-open division. The defense is a force and Rodgers appears to be picking up steam with each successive appearance.

He struggled against a stout 49ers defense in Week 1, looking rigid in the pocket and a half-second behind on his reads, but Rodgers promptly turned in a more promising Week 2 performance in Tennessee. His home opener and de facto MetLife debut on Thursday, however, was on a different level. That was the Aaron Rodgers we know and sometimes even love.

It's not his most robust statistical output on the surface — 27 of 35 passes completed for 281 yards and two touchdowns — but Rodgers was hyper-efficient, effortlessly tearing apart a flimsy Patriots defense. He several of those 'wow' passes only Aaron Rodgers can make and New York's offense rarely stalled without at least putting pressure on the New England D.

He completed the first TD pass of his career to a first-round pick (Garrett Wilson) and he made sure to involve more elements of the Jets' pass-catching corps, connecting with eight different receivers at least twice.

Want further proof that this Jets offense is on a different level than we're used to? Here it is.

Aaron Rodgers has the Jets offense humming like we've never seen it before

There was a lot of 'Robert Salah is just a bad coach and the Jets are hopeless' talk after Week 1. Lo and behold, less than two weeks later on the calendar, and Rodgers has New York's offense working at almost quadruple the scoring pace it did last season.

It took the Jets 11 weeks to achieve nine offensive touchdowns in 2023. It took them all of three games to reach the same milestone in 2024. That is just comical, and proof positive that Rodgers is, in fact, a much better signal-caller than his predecessor, Zach Wilson.

There's no reason to pile on Wilson, but he is currently the third-string QB on a hapless Denver Broncos team. New York's issues stretched well beyond Wilson last season, but this was not a talentless team on the offensive end. Wilson had a premier wideout, a premier running back, and plenty of support around him. He just couldn't avoid the sort of boneheaded mistakes he is now infamous for in East Rutherford.

Rodgers doesn't make those mistakes. Say what you will about Rodgers' attempts at intellectualism off the field (and there's a lot to say, believe me), he's one of the smartest football players we've ever seen. His ability to process the field in real time and improvise, both before or after the snap, is unmatched. Even as he loses his mobility and maybe even a little arm strength, Rodgers should continue to outwit defenses on a weekly basis.

We shouldn't overreact to three weeks of football, but Jets fans have to be thrilled with what they've seen from Rodgers so far.