Joyful Aaron Rodgers Explains Why the Jets Chose Game-Winning TD Over FG vs. Jags

Aaron Rodgers was all smiles after the Jets beat the Jaguars.
Aaron Rodgers and DaVante Adams celebrate the Jets’ fourth win of the season.
Aaron Rodgers and DaVante Adams celebrate the Jets’ fourth win of the season. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Jets beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15 in a matchup of teams that had already been eliminated from playoff contention. Aaron Rodgers threw for 289 yards and three touchdown passes as the Jets won their fourth game of the season.

Breece Hall scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:05 remaining, but many people wondered why the Jets didn't just run the clock all the way down and attempt the chip-shot field goal for the win as time expired, since they had first-and-goal from the one and the Jaguars didn't have enough timeouts to stop them. As clock management experts chimed in from home, the Jets went against the current wisdom when they even tried to score a touchdown with a minute left.

Rodgers was asked about the decision after the game and was all smiles while he answered, first referring to a "magic number" and then relaying a story about telling a teammate that if they had kicked a field goal Sauce Gardner wouldn't have gotten an interception.

This seems to refer to the fact that the Jets scored 30 points in the game, which is the first time they've done it all season. No wonder it felt so magical.


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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a Senior Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in journalism and media since 2008, and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Stephen spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and has previously written for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.