Aaron Rodgers knew he had a chance to make history Sunday against the Rams, when he threw for his 499th career touchdown pass in the first quarter.
“Yeah, for sure,” Rodgers said after the Jets’ 19-9 loss to the Rams.
And it was on his mind when his good friend Davante Adams (who caught Rodgers’ 200th and 400th career touchdown passes) nearly caught No. 500 late in the second quarter.
“Wish he would have caught it,” Rodgers said.
Even before Rodgers admitted to knowing the stakes and wishing Adams had caught the touchdown pass, it felt as if Rodgers had been pursuing his preferred outcome – Adams catching his milestone touchdown – and not the easiest path to a touchdown.
And that didn’t sit well with former Jets linebacker Bart Scott, who called out Rodgers after the game on SNY’s postgame show.
“To have a 10-minute drive and end up with nothing,” Scott said. “And it’s because you’re going for records, right? Sentimental records. And you’re deciding who gets your record. And I think that’s – that’s despicable.”
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The Jets had to settle for a field goal at the end of the first half, when they left a timeout in their pockets and didn’t attempt a single run after getting inside the 20-yard line – including three straight passes from inside the 10 before they were forced to kick on fourth and goal from the 3 with under 10 seconds left.
But Scott was talking about the drive after halftime, when the Jets marched 58 yards in 14 plays, taking 9:45 off the clock and were left with nothing to show for it after Rodgers dropped back to throw in seven of eight plays once they crossed inside the Rams’ 30. The drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-4 from the Rams 13, when Rodgers looked only at Adams, who was well covered by Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, and lofted a 50-50 anyway that was easily broken up with the Jets leading 9-6 after scoring only three points in back-to-back red zone trips.
And just like that, any momentum the Jets had in the first quarter – when Rodgers led the offense on a 99-yard touchdown drive to start the game – was gone. And by early in the fourth quarter, their lead would be too.
Even in the moment, it felt as if Rodgers’ pursuit of his historic milestone – he’s on the verge of becoming only fifth player in NFL history to throw for 500 touchdowns – became more important than just finding the end zone. And in the end, Rodgers will have to wait another week to shoot for the milestone, after walking away with his 11th loss in his 15th full game with the Jets.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached at avasquez@njadvancemedia.com.
