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Following Monday night time’s 23-20 residence loss to the Buffalo Payments, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers defined what occurred on his interception throughout what turned out to be the Jets’ closing offensive sequence of the sport.
Rodgers was picked off by Payments cornerback Taron Johnson with 1:52 remaining whereas attempting to hit broad receiver Mike Williams deep down the sector. Rodgers informed reporters that Williams ran the fallacious route:
“It is two vertical [routes]. Allen [Lazard] is down the seam and Mike is down the crimson line. I am Allen, he places his hand up and three guys go along with him. So I am throwing a no-look to the crimson line. And after I peek my eyes again there, [Williams] is working an in-breaker. He is acquired to be on the crimson line. It is the little issues each single time.”
When requested once more concerning the play throughout an look on the Pat McAfee Present on Tuesday, Rodgers positioned the blame on himself, noting that he is “gotta play higher” and “cannot make that throw.”
Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow
“I’ve gotta play higher & I can not make that throw to finish the sport..
The query was about what occurred on that play & I wasn’t calling Mike Williams out..
I maintain myself to a regular of greatness & when it hasn’t been there I rise up there & say I gotta play higher” ~… pic.twitter.com/A8ijlW4ArK
Rodgers added that he wasn’t calling Williams out and that he has “a lot of love and respect” for Williams.
Following Johnson’s clutch interception with Buffalo leading by three, the Bills were able to run out the clock, as quarterback Josh Allen picked up a decisive first down on 3rd-and-4 with a six-yard run.
With the score tied at 20-20 in the second half, Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein missed field goals on back-to-back possessions, as he struggled to deal with windy conditions inside MetLife Stadium.
Buffalo took a 23-20 lead thanks to a field goal with 3:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, but that gave Rodgers and the New York offense a chance to drive for the tying or winning score.
The 40-year-old Rodgers had one of his best statistical games of the season, throwing for 294 yards and two touchdowns. He did it by primarily targeting Lazard and Garrett Wilson, both of whom had more than 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Rodgers targeted Williams three times, but he didn’t come away with a catch, and he apparently wasn’t on the same page with his quarterback on what proved to be a game-defining play.
Route concept aside, Williams slipped on the Jets’ final offensive play, which allowed Johnson to dive in front of him and put the ball back in the hands of Allen and the Buffalo offense.
In seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, Williams often dealt with injuries, but he was highly productive when healthy. He recorded two 1,000-yard seasons and scored 31 touchdowns during his Chargers career.
The Chargers parted ways with Williams during the offseason as a cost-cutting measure, and the Jets signed him in hopes of him becoming an ideal complement to Wilson and Lazard.
Rodgers and Williams seemingly haven’t meshed, though, as he has only 10 catches for 145 yards and no touchdowns through six games. By comparison, Wilson has 41 catches for 399 yards and three touchdowns, and Lazard has 26 receptions for 354 yards and five scores.
Despite Wilson and Lazard putting up strong numbers, the Jets have been strongly linked to Las Vegas Raiders superstar wide receiver Davante Adams in trade talks due to Adams’ reported desire to reunited with Rodgers, who was his teammate for a number of years with the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
Ought to that commerce finally occur, it’s doable Williams can be the odd man out. He seemingly did not assist his personal trigger by having a miscommunication with Rodgers in a vital second.
The Jets might have moved right into a tie for the AFC East lead with a win on Monday, however as an alternative they’re now in third with a 2-4 report, whereas Buffalo leads the best way at 4-2.
New York’s subsequent alternative to get again on monitor will come Sunday night time when the Jets go on the highway to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.