Are Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams the WR duo Aaron Rodgers needs in sunset of his career? Jets are starting to find out

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.Y. — Facing third-and-19, down three points early in the fourth quarter, Aaron Rodgers made a decision.

If the weak-side safety dropped down, the New York Jets quarterback would give Garrett Wilson a chance.

So Rodgers dropped back and sailed a pass 47 air yards to his receiver who would ultimately be just 0.8 yards away from the defender, per Next Gen Stats.

Wilson extended his right arm while airborne so spectacularly that his teammates would soon hurry to compare him to Michael Jordan’s JumpMan, or Odell Beckham Jr.’s famous one-handed catch in the same stadium, or both.

As Wilson brought his left hand forward to secure the ball, his left foot hit the end zone, his right foot still well above his hips. The Jets’ 2022 first-round pick fell on his left side, hesitant to celebrate as he wondered whether he’d conformed to the sometimes seemingly shifting NFL definition of a catch.

Aaron Rodgers’ 26-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson had a completion probability of 13.6%, the 5th-most improbable completion of the season, and most improbable by Rodgers since Week 1, 2020.

🔹 Air Distance: 47.0 yards
🔹 Target Separation: 0.8 yards

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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 1, 2024

Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich challenged the ruling of an incomplete pass.

“Just for the sake of posterity, you have to say that is in,” Ulbrich told the official in half-jest. “Just so it goes down in history.”

Posterity alone, it turned out, was not needed. Replay confirmed Wilson’s left shin hit the end zone.

Rodgers to Wilson, 26 yards, touchdown.

“A game-changing play,” Rodgers said.

The foibles of the first half faded in their memories as the momentum of a star athlete making a crunch-time play swept through the sideline. For the first time in more than three quarters, the Jets had the lead.

The Jets beat the Houston Texans 21-13 on Thursday night to snap a five-game losing streak and secure their…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-01 07:10:47

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