Can Aaron Rodgers Finally Break Out Against New York Jets' Top Rival?

New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers has historically struggled against the New England Patriots.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers calls a play against the Tennessee Titans. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has dominated a lot of teams throughout his NFL career (just ask Chicago Bears fans), but the New England Patriots aren't one of them.

In four career games (three starts) against the Patriots, Rodgers is just 2-2 with six touchdowns, one interception and a 57% completion rate. That's his third-lowest completion rate against any team, ahead of only the Buffalo Bills (54%) and Pittsburgh Steelers (55%).

That's not too surprising, as all three of those teams are known for having tough defenses and playing in cold weather.

In Rodgers' defense, all four of his previous appearances against New England came against Bill Belichick, who made life notoriously difficult for even the best quarterbacks. Fortunately for Rodgers, Belichick is no longer employed by the Patriots after parting ways with the organization last offseason.

The four-time MVP will have a chance to put his past struggles against New England behind him on Thursday when the Jets host the Patriots in an AFC East rivalry game on Thursday Night Football. It will be New York's home opener at MetLife Stadium after going 1-1 on the road against the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans.

Aaron Rodgers is still throwing dots on vertical routes

The #Patriots need to be careful with their disguises (if not tone them down altogether) or Rodgers will pick them apart pic.twitter.com/Osi6M9dVoj

— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) September 17, 2024

New England is also 1-1 under rookie head coach Jerod Mayo, who's two years younger than Rodgers. Mayo faced Rodgers once as a player in 2010 and once as a Patriots assistant coach in 2022 -- Rodgers' final season with the Green Bay Packers.

Belichick's successor did a good job game planning for Joe Burrow in Week 1, limiting him to 164 passing yards and no touchdowns as New England upset the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. The Patriots' defense struggled to contain Geno Smith at home last week, however, letting him complete 75% of his passes for 327 yards and a touchdown in an overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

That doesn't bode well for New England's defense on a short week, as it didn't have much time to prepare for Rodgers. The former Super Bowl champion is also trending up after his solid performance in Nashville last week, which saw him throw for 176 yards and two touchdowns in a comeback win against the Titans.

Rodgers has yet to surpass 200 passing yards in a game this season, but he should be able to here against a secondary that's given up the sixth-most passing yards in the NFL so far. He's historically been great on Thursdays, too, going 11-6 with a 67% completion rate and a 37:5 TD/INT ratio.

With Rodgers looking more comfortable and the Patriots' defense reeling, don't be surprised if he busts out for a big game on Thursday night and leads New York to victory against its division rival.