Barring some seismic change in the Patriots’ season, Thursday Night Football will be the only chance the team has to make a statement in prime time.
And under the bright lights at MetLife Stadium in Jersey, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers gives the Patriots defense the perfect moment to show how good they actually are.
Let’s get it out of the way: Rodgers is 40 years old. He’s coming back from one of the worst injuries an athlete can suffer. His personality can come off as pedantic, condescending, and unlikable.
He’s still a star quarterback.
I flat-out asked Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise, Jr. how he imagines it would feel like to sack Rodgers Thursday. He congenially side-stepped the question, but detailed the challenge of going against him.
“When you’re going against guys of his caliber, you can’t fall for his little tricks. He has a lot of things up his sleeve, he’s been doing this for a long time,” he told me.
“He’s still sharp, even though he’s up in age in football, in life, he’s still a young man. He’s still quick,” he said. “Quick release.
Knows how to control the offense. Control the game. Get the ball downfield and short yardage, he can definitely do a lot of the same things he did when he was in his prime. Wanting to get after him is our goal.”
Rodgers may not produce like his 2011 self, when he tallied 45 touchdowns and averaged over 10 yards per pass attempt in the regular season. He’s still able to sling a 26-yard beauty to Breece Hall for the endzone.
The Patriots defense has earned widespread respect over the last two seasons in spite of the team’s overall record. They’ve been a Top-10 team in fewest points allowed for both years.
It gets hairy when you examine the actual wins the Patriots posted during those years. Who’s under center on the other side? In 2022, it was Mitch Trubisky, Jacoby Brissett, Sam Ehlinger, Zach Wilson, Colt McCoy, and Teddy Bridgewater. Last year, they defeated Zach Wilson, Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky, and Russell Wilson.
The Wilsons, Trubisky, and career backups suited up for a lot of those victories.
That’s not to say the Patriots haven’t played well against formidable quarterbacks. They held Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers to just six points last year, but the offense couldn’t score a point.
But again…Herbert isn’t Rodgers. You can hate him all you want, he’s still a four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion.
He’s also surrounded by talent. He can choose among Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Allen Lazard. He has a reinforced offensive line as long as Tyron Smith is out there.
The Patriots are a -6.5 underdog. Winning would be an upset of the likes they pulled in Week 1, but that was against a tender-wristed Joe Burrow and limited Bengals offense. New England’s own playmakers -or lack thereof – may doom them completely.
This game against Rodgers is still a chance for Wise and the rest of the pass rush to show how big of a wrecking ball they can be. We hear a lot about the “next man up” mentality, and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley’s injury will test that as well. Meanwhile, every game puts the spotlight on 2023 first-round pick cornerback Christian Gonzalez. The Patriots’ safeties, Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Duggar, have provided some of the most exciting and physical plays through the first two weeks of the season.
It’s not as simple as throwing a quarterback to the ground.
Still, it’d be nice for the defense to make Rodgers touch grass.
“You work all week on schemes, moves,” Wise said. “On game day, that’s your test. You get a sack? In my opinion, that’s an A.”