It was another opening at MetLife Stadium for Aaron Rodgers. And what a show it was.

For all his virtuoso play passing the ball Thursday night, no one would have figured Rodgers for the Jets' leading rusher -- in average yards per carry. Then again, when things go right – they go right.

On the second play from scrimmage, Rodgers was flushed out of the pocket and scrambled around left end for 5 yards. If there was any residue of doubt remaining from last year's first home game in green and white when he tore an Achilles tendon four plays into the game it was wiped away as Rodgers, who connected on 27-of-35 passes for 281 yards and 2 TDs, led the Jets to a 24-3 victory over AFC rival New England as the sellout crowd filled the late-summer air with chants of his name.

"It was a special night," he said. "All those chants are meaningful."

Head coach Robert Saleh, asked about his quarterback's rollouts and scrambles, said Rodgers was only showing off the impressive mobility the team has seen all summer.

"I moved off the spot a few times, halfway decent," Rodgers said. "I was feeling real good out there. I felt good pregame. And, you know, I've been progressing. I said after Week 1, it's going to be a process of continuing to extend plays once I feel more comfortable. And this was kind of the first step in playing like I know I'm capable of playing. I felt like I was, you know, myself."

Rodgers sprayed the ball to 8 different receivers, and he also showed impressive mobility for a 40-year-old quarterback in 3 scrambles for 18 yards, an average of 6 yards a carry -- which was more than RBs Braelon Allen (11/55/5) and Breece Hall (16/55/3.4). While on the run, he also completed all 5 of his pass attempts.

"And like I said, he may not be what he used to be, but he still has plenty in those legs, and his arm is still 30, and his mind is still operating at a high level, but he was, he was definitely impressive today," Saleh said.

Rodgers led the Jets to a 14-3 lead after the first half, completing 13-of-15 passes for 157 yards and a TD, his first at home. On the Jets' second offensive series, after Allen Lazard caught the 10-yard dart for the TD, he ran over to his former Green Bay teammate and presented him with the pigskin. Rodgers was 8 of 9 on those two drives.

"I'm not sure if he had that in his mind, but I'll take it," said Rodgers, who earned the 150th victory and threw the 479th (and later 480th) TD pass of his career, said of the "gift" from Lazard.

No. 8 directed a master class in running an offense, unleashing quick and accurate throws in the pocket, rolling out and finding his receivers -- TE Tyler Conklin and WR Garrett Wilson led the receiving corps with 5 receptions each. On the play before the Wilson's 2-yard scoring catch in the third quarter, he caught a pass on the left side, slid past a would-be tackler but was taken down at the 2-yard line.

"He kind of said something coming back to the huddle, like throw me the ball again, which is great," Rodgers said. "So I said, 'OK.' So we had a run/pass option there, so it was kind of slowing his route a bit and I kind of double-clutched. But he's the type of guy sometimes you feel, I think I've learned this, but a normal ball you think is going to be on target a foot in front of the numbers is sometimes behind him.

"So I've learned to actually throw it wider than I actually think. And I'm glad I did. G made just, you know, for the mere mortal, a really difficult catch, but for him, he made it look easy"

For the Jets, their second straight victory over the Patriots moved the needle ever so slightly in the long-running rivalry that dates to the dawn of the AFL in 1960. The Jets had not won two straight over New England since games that spanned the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

And now, after three games in only 11 days to start the season, the Jets are 2-1 with a mini-bye before facing visiting Denver on Sept. 29.

"Although we'd love to be 3-0, I think if you said 2-1 going into the mini-bye we'd be feeling pretty good about things," Rodgers said. He added: "I thought we played with a lot more energy tonight.

"The expectation is winning and we're going to celebrate it, but we should expect to win. The next step is expecting to dominate."