It was shaping up at the start as a game for the time capsules belonging to Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, the Jets and the NFL.
It didn't end that way.
"The rhythm disappeared," Rodgers said about what happened after the Jets' 99-yard opening drive to his 499th career touchdown pass and Adams' 102nd career TD catch. "I think it was a real strange game, possession-wise. Not a lot of possessions but high-volume plays. On that drive everybody touched the ball.
"After that, they kind of sat back in two-high [safeties] most of the game. We didn't run the ball super-efficient and didn't throw it very efficiently from that point forward, either."
"They" Rodgers referred to were the Los Angeles Rams, who came to MetLife on a roll toward a possible NFC West title and a playoff berth. The Jets looked to be their equal and perhaps even their better until 5:15 remained in the third quarter. The Jets couldn't hit on one of their many fourth-down conversions they attempted (more below), so they took their shaky 9-6 lead into the fourth period.
"Strange game" said a lot about this one. The Jets, playing the role that the Jaguars portrayed in the first half last week, traded long drives with the Rams, and after their 8:22 game-opening possession set the team mark for longest series by time this season, they reset that number with their 9:45 march — their longest in a home game since 2009 — to open the third quarter.
Rodgers-to-Adams early tied Dan Marino and Mark Clayton for third-most TD connections between a QB and a receiver in NFL history. It looked as if Rodgers and Adams would do it again, in even more historic fashion, in the third quarter. That would have been the 500th scoring pass of Rodgers' career, the 103rd of Adams' career, and the 83rd between the two, good for third place alone.
Did No. 8 know No. 500 was possible when he dropped back on fourth-and-4 from the Rams 13 and tried to loft the ball to a high-jumping No. 17 near the left pylon?
"Yeah, for sure," Rodgers said with a small smile. "I wish he would've caught it."
But the pass was batted away by CB Ahkello Witherspoon. And from there the Rams scored three times in the final 15 minutes to win going away and improve to 9-6 while the Jets lost going away to fall to 4-11. And Rodgers was left to ponder the same old issues that he and the Jets offense had seen too many times earlier this season. Such as not taking care of the little details.
"It's been all year," he said. "That's what needs to clean up moving forward for some of these guys to reach their full potential is to just lock in on the details. And that's not just this offense. Whatever comes next after this, there's going to be important details in every offense. And that's just the little tweaks that are the difference between explosive gains or conversions and turnovers on downs.
Rodgers also said the "staying positive" thing had jumped the shark for these Jets.
"We're kind of past the keeping-it-positive thing," he said. "It's just about perspective. Your perspective informs your truth and your truth makes your reality. The reality of the situation is what it is. But your perspective is something you can change every single day, so what you're focusing on is the most important thing now. That's not to change the reality of the situation, being 4-11, out of the playoffs, going into an unknown offseason. But we've got to figure out what it means to be a professional. That's an important part of building culture."
Rodgers lamented from his perspective observing in practice "who's on board moving forward and who's ready to get out." He didn't mention any players in particular but said team leaders can only do so much.
"We have the ability to inspire, but in the end motivation comes from within," he said. "So it's going to be each person motivated to find the little things in the offense where they can really lock in on the details, because there's a few plays every single game, might be a play in the first or second quarter, that wins the game. It comes down to the little adjustments or details or reactions in the game and just training yourself to make the proper reaction."
With games remaining only at Buffalo and back home for the finale against Miami, it won't be long before the Jets hit the offseason. A lot will be going on with the franchise regarding general manager and head coach as well as the usual 24/7/365 activity regarding free agency and the draft. Rodgers' advice for his teammates, regardless of who's on board and who's ready to depart:
"There will be interesting conversations in the next couple of weeks, but just focus on the relationships that we have with each other and try to finish this thing out like a pro."
