SI

Aaron Rodgers's Lack of Leadership Yet Again a Topic After Brutal Jets Loss

Rodgers was honest, but fair in his postgame comments.

Kyle Koster

Rodgers reacts after a late interception sealed the game.
Rodgers reacts after a late interception sealed the game. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Jets missed out on a golden opportunity to elevate themselves into the AFC East race by falling to the Buffalo Bills, 23-20, on Monday Night Football. They squandered several chances to get the biggest win of Aaron Rodgers's disappointing tenure, including two errant field goal attempts by Greg Zuerlein and a late, underthrown interception by Rodgers.

Those data points were brought up by the quarterback postgame—as well as his feeling that Mike Williams ran the wrong route on the fateful turnover.

These comments seem fair. The Jets are trying to make the playoffs and ultimately win a Super Bowl. Rodgers's window is not going to be open for too much longer. Kickers know they need to make kicks and wideouts know the importance of running the correct route. It's not typical for a quarterback to speak so candidly after a loss but Rodgers is anything but typical. Throw in all the palace intrigue that comes with playing the first game after Robert Saleh was dismissed and the media availability was mildly spicy.

Predictably, for yet another week, the leadership qualities of the Jets' most important player are being dissected and, more often than not, found wanting. Last time it was Ryan Clark saying Rodgers was "devoid" of the quality. This morning Unsportsmanlike Radio's Evan Cohen got a similar conversation going, wondering if honesty is always the best quality.

It's an intriguing argument but the Jets would be 2-4 and in big trouble even if Rodgers put on a masterclass of deflecting all blame in his direction. They would still be 2-4 if he performatively fell on his sword. They will still be 2-4 after whatever he says on Pat McAfee's show today.

If there is a bright spot, the Jets played 60 competitive minutes against a very good football team. The offense also looked pretty good outside of the red-zone struggles. Winning cures all ails and can stop a narrative moment. Rodgers will get another chance to change the conversation when he tangles with the Pittsburgh Steelers in primetime on Sunday.

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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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