This has been a tale of two completely different franchises, as far as the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets are concerned.
The Packers are well within contention as an NFC favorite, competing with two other hopefuls within the NFC North. Meanwhile, former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his Jets are all but mathematically eliminated at this point.
A few weeks back, the Jets thought there was still time to make things right. It started with the decision to fire former head coach Robert Saleh (hey thanks, New York). Then, the team made the bold move to trade for wide receiver Davante Adams.
Yet, Rodgers and the Jets have still lost six of seven, currently.
What's gone wrong for the Jets, then, if firing Saleh and acquiring Adams hasn't equated to wins? Rodgers seems to believe he has the answer, and revealed as much in his latest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
"The coaches get blamed, but in the end, it's the players who are out there trying to execute it," Rodgers said.
The quarterback went on to acknowledge the Jets have actually had some strong weeks of practice as of late:
"We've actually, unfortunately, had some really good weeks of practice ... the last three weeks have been the best three weeks of practice we've had."
Aaron Rodgers explaining why the Jets still stink is top-notch comedy for Packers fans
"Nobody felt like we were going to go out there and score six points," Rodgers said of the team's performance against Arizona this past Sunday.
"If we don't screw it up, we can be a dynamic offense. But unfortunately, too many times, we've been the ones screwing it up," Rodgers went on.
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This is actually quite comical. Everything Rodgers is saying points to the fact that he is, in fact, to blame. Why is he to blame?
It's pretty simple. The Jets are putting the entirety of the offense on his shoulders.
Rodgers' NFL ranks through Week 10
- Passing Yards: 10th
- Passing TD: 8th
- Attempts: 2nd
- Completion Pct.: 29th
- Yards per Attempt: 25th
- QBR: 24th
- Rating: 23rd
If someone were to just look at Rodgers' ranks in yards and touchdowns, they might say he isn't having that bad of a season. But, the fact that he is second in the NFL in attempts gives you everything you need to know.
The Jets are trying too hard, having Rodgers throw the ball far too much instead of figuring out how to run the ball more regularly and effectively. If you're asking a 40-year-old quarterback, coming off an Achilles tear, to throw it the second-most times in the league, it doesn't matter who it is. That quarterback is set up for failure.
But, the fact that it's Rodgers just makes this all the more intriguing. If Rodgers is asked to do this much, at this point in his career, that's a clear sign that he is done. He's not the guy he once was. He's not going to be the reason why the Jets win games, period.
It might just be time to hang up those cleats.