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Aaron Rodgers May Have Convinced Al Michaels That the Jets Can Run the Table

The Jets won a football game. Now they need to win eight more.

Kyle Koster

Aaron Rodgers (8) walks off the field after the Jets win over the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium.
Aaron Rodgers (8) walks off the field after the Jets win over the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
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The New York Jets woke up from an extended slumber at halftime Thursday night to put up 21 points in the second half and look very much like an NFL football team. A quality victory over the Houston Texans has temporarily saved their season, though at 3-6 they still face a steep hill to get back to .500 let alone compete for a playoff spot.

But hey, the Jets can only chip away win by win, and there were some great signs of life from Aaron Rodgers and the wide receiving corps. Garrett Wilson turned in the catch of the year and Davante Adams salted things away with a late touchdown for a rare feel-good night at MetLife.

At the very least, the conversation surrounding the Jets and Rodgers will have to change until they play next. Perhaps Al Michaels gave us a preview of what's to come at the end of the Amazon broadcast.

"Aaron is very smart. Obviously, whatever you think of him, he's a polarizing figure," Michaels said. "We know that. He's a very well-read guy, very smart and is very convincing. We are sitting there going 'wait a second, they cant' run the table.' And then he makes you think they can."

"Yeah, by the time we're done ... he makes a good point," Kirk Herbstreit added. "They got a shot if they can win Thursday, who knows?"

It's unclear what Rodgers's reading habits have to do with any of this but here is the Jets' remaining schedule:

Perhaps it's not all that far-fetched. Outside of the Buffalo Bills, every team on there is beatable. Most of them have their own problems. Still, it's remarkable that everyone can agree that the sky is falling for the Jets and all hope is lost and then a few hours there's chatter about an 11-6 finish.

Kind of makes a person wonder how serious any of it is.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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