After nearly a yearlong layoff due to Achilles surgery, Aaron Rodgers will play his third game in 11 days Thursday night when he faces the Patriots for the first time as a member of the Jets.
The four-time NFL MVP — and the oldest player now in the league, at 40 — has cleared various hurdles in his arduous rehab from the injury, including posting the team’s first win of the season Sunday in Week 2 over the Titans.
“Testing the body for sure. We love to play, so shorter time between games is great. But it’s definitely tough on the body, tough on the week,” Rodgers said after a walk-through practice Tuesday in Florham Park. “It’s easier for a guy who’s 20 than a guy who’s 40.
“But I’ll be ready to go Thursday night and then look forward to the three days off.”
The game not only represents the Jets home opener after splitting their first two road games in San Francisco and Tennessee, but it also will be the first game action at MetLife Stadium for Rodgers since he ruptured his left Achilles on his fourth offensive play in the season opener last September against the Bills.
“I feel good about it. It’s been a long time since I took the field at JetLife, so it’ll be a lot of emotions for sure,” Rodgers said. “But thankfully we’re already into the third game of the season. We’ve played two full games.
“My body feels good, about as good as it can. It’ll be fun to be out there with the crowd. I love night games, so I’m excited about it. Nobody’s really crazy about Thursday games, but everybody loves the weekend after the Thursday games.”
Before he was injured, Rodgers hyped the Meadowlands crowd before his first home game by running onto the field holding an American flag as part of a Sept. 11 tribute.
Asked if he had anything special planned for Thursday night, Rodgers replied, “The flag thing was spur of the moment. Didn’t think about it at all. Somebody just grabbed me a flag, and I said, ‘OK, run with this thing.’ I’m sure there will be some stuff, and whatever happens, happens.”
With Rodgers sidelined, the Jets at least finally broke a 15-game losing streak against the Pats with a 17-3 win in the regular-season finale at Gillette Stadium in January.
Notably, legendary coach Bill Belichick is no longer on the New England sideline. He was replaced by former Pats linebacker Jerod Mayo, who has split his first two games as a head coach.
“They’ve played pretty good the two weeks, gave up 10 and 23 [points in the two games],” Rodgers said. “They’re a typical Patriot defense, play really sound football, smart. They have a lot of techniques you don’t see across other teams.
“It’s really a smart, stout, solid defense front to back.”
The Jets have scored three touchdowns in each of their first two games, but Rodgers believes the offense needs to be “a little sharper,” get off to a “faster start” and increase its “number of plays” after he averaged 171.5 passing yards in the 1-1 start.
Rodgers added that he’s thinking only in those terms, and not concerned about controlling his emotions or immediately “putting a stamp” on the AFC East rivalry.
“There will be emotion this week, as there always is during the anthem, and seeing our crowd, night game, the excitement driving up to the stadium and seeing the tailgate happening,” Rodgers said. “There’s always emotion. If you love the game, there’s always emotion.”