Cruel Mix of Emotions for Jets' Fans at MetLife Stadium
Shinn was embedded in the MetLife Stadium crowd for the historic home opener. From her parking lot experience to the in-stadium atmosphere, the media maven shares a first-hand account of an emotional Monday in the Meadowlands.
Monday Night Football showcased the highly anticipated divisional matchup between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills headlined by Aaron Rodgers's regular season debut in Green & White.
It was a star-studded event with guest appearances from Method Man, Justin Timberlake, Jake Paul, Sexyy Red and Kevin Malone from the hit sit-com "The Office."
Inside the stadium there were a mix of extreme emotions and all for good reason. As we now have learned, from confirmed reports, Rodgers is out for the season with a torn Achilles. The moment it happened unleashed a real-life nightmare for Jets' fans all around. Let’s break down how we got there.
Vibes were ultra-high in the parking lot for the Week 1 home opener despite severe weather and multiple public safety alerts from the New Jersey State Police advising all patrons to seek shelter. Once the downpour subsided, a rainbow formed over the stadium which had tailgaters capitalizing on photo ops. The energy shifted into the stadium as fans moved in droves to get into their seats early to witness the pregame festivities.
Light-up bracelets were given to fans which illuminated the entire stadium and were synced with the in-bowl audio. The pregame opened with ACDC’s Thunderstruck and pyro shooting off every time “Thunder” played. The Jets were then introduced with select players individually running out of the tunnel carrying the American flag. Once the camera panned to Rodgers and followed him onto the field, the stadium absolutely ERUPTED with cheers that could be heard all the way back in Green Bay. Jet vibes were at an all-time high.
On the anniversary of 9/11, the team paid tribute with a moment of silence and then the stadium was asked to participate sing the National Anthem led by NYPD Police Officer Brianna Fernandez. Both Jets and Bills fans alike partook in what was a very heartfelt, moving and collective rendition of the anthem.
The Jets' superfans were then showcased on split-screen with Fireman Ed leading a few rounds of cheers J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets to ring in the new season prior to kickoff. Buffalo received and garnered one first down before punting away to the Jets. That's when the dream slowly began to become a nightmare.
On the fourth play of the possession, Rodgers was taken down the turf and was clearly injured on the field. In an instant, MetLife Stadium was devastated and deflated. Worried Jet fans all turned to each other in complete disbelief, sharing what they were reading and hearing from reports online and from people at home watching the national broadcast. The wishful thought circulating was high ankle sprain but the demeanor of the most realistic fan-base in all of sports knew it was worse.
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Fast forward, and thanks to a couple phenomenal runs by Breece Hall, and lockdown defense, the Jets were able to stay in the game and force overtime. The Bills received and went three-and-out to set the stage for undrafted rookie, and "Hard Knocks" star, Xavier Gipson's game-winning punt return. The videos of Coach Saleh sprinting down to the endzone to hug Gipson made the deep cut of losing Rodgers hurt just a little less for the moment.
In what had the potential to be the greatest event in Jets home-opening history, it was a bittersweet win that have left the fans and team alike questioning the next move in who will lead or help contribute in the QB position alongside Zach Wilson.
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