The Jets are in for a hectic start of the season, as they kick off on MNF, only to go on to play three games in ten days. However, star QB Aaron Rodgers remains upbeat about the tough start.
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With six prime-time games in 11 weeks, three games in 10 days to open the year, two of them being on the road, and the bye week not coming till Week 12, there’s a lot of pressure on the Rodgers-led unit. Can he handle it?
Speaking to the media, Rodgers remained optimistic about the tough road ahead of him, as he called the back-to-back games “interesting,” and the crazy schedule ahead a “good challenge,”
“The Thursday games are always tough…I am sure Robert will do some creative things with the schedule, we’re gonna have to. Two road games to start and then a Thursday home game is going to be interesting… But to start the season out like that is going to be a good challenge for us.”
The Jets’ schedule is gonna be a test of their endurance and drive. Despite a game scheduled internationally in London, the team doesn’t have a bye week to rest up right after, instead
Rodgers has a good reason for putting his trust in HC Robert Saleh’s scheduling abilities. Saleh previously explained the decision to take a later bye week is to maximize the team’s rest time in the latter portion of the season.
Since the Jets have a Thursday night game before and after the London trip, Saleh thinks the “mini-byes” will be enough rest before and after the London game, and the Week 12 bye week can immensely help a team waiting to make a playoff run. With a daunting schedule, it’ll be interesting to see how Saleh will handle practice plans for Rodgers, who is not only older but also coming off an injury.
How Can The Jets Overcome The Tough Stretch?
Last year, the league banked on a Rodgers-filled season and scheduled the New York team for a bunch of prime-time games, and they’ve gone the same route for next season as well. With Rodgers going down within the first few minutes of the first game, it didn’t pan out for the Jets like they would’ve wanted it to.
To keep that from happening next season, the Jets have strengthened their offensive line. They will need to prioritize protecting Rodgers at all costs. With their first game against a loaded offense in San Francisco, the very first game will also be a test of the Jets’ defense which has provided solid results in the past two years.
The Jets have a tough road ahead but if Saleh can work his magic with the offense, Rodgers can be adequately protected, and the defense can hold its ground, the Jets might just finally have a winning season.
