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In a tightly contested game with the Tennessee Titans last Sunday that featured several momentum swings, Aaron Rodgers delivered when it was needed most.
The New York Jets quarterback went 5-for-5 for 60 yards on what became the game-winning drive. It included a beautiful 26-yard floater to star receiver Garrett Wilson, a third-and-1 conversion. The clutch plays late came on a day the Jets had no offensive rhythm early (seven points at halftime).
Jets rookie running back Braelon Allen couldn’t help but marvel at how Rodgers commanded the huddle down the stretch. How he took charge of the offense in spite of the external factors — the visiting crowd, the noise. How he was able to dial everybody in.
“You know you’re going to win the game. That’s what it comes down to,” Allen said. “He’s just like a conductor. He just drives right down the field with no problem.”
Coach Robert Saleh and Rodgers’ teammates exited Sunday’s win over the Titans raving about the calming presence the 40-year-old quarterback gives the Jets (1-1). With 19 seasons and counting under his belt, Rodgers has the track record of elite quarterback play that makes the franchise continue to believe he is the missing piece to Super Bowl contention. After losing the four-time MVP four snaps into his Jets debut last season due to his torn Achilles, the team entered 2024 with renewed hopes to end its 13-year playoff drought.
Rodgers feels that it’s important to be a calming force because, in pressure-filled situations, “people freak out.”
You can see it in the players’ eyes, he explained.
“It’s not just on game day, but every day,” Rodgers said of eliciting calmness with his team. “How do we stay loose and then be able to lock in when it’s time to lock in? Last year there were some negative vibes going at times, where we felt like ‘Here we go again’ or ‘We’re not going to win this one.’ I just don’t want us to ever get in that spot.
“So I think there’s ways of doing that. Some of that…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/aaron-rodgers-calming-presence-priceless-jets-search-offensive-rhythm
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Publish date : 2024-09-19 16:28:13
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