Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter.
If you watched all of last night’s game, I would like to apologize on behalf of the Patriots, who apparently forgot how to play football. Maybe they didn’t completely forget, but they definitely forgot how to throw the ball, because they only totaled 61 yards through the air. The good news for everyone who watched the game is that Aaron Rodgers looks to be officially back. Sure, he’s already played two games this season, but he looked mostly average in those games. Last night, he looked like a four-time MVP who might actually be able to help the Jets get to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll be handing out grades for both the Jets and the Patriots, plus we’ll be making some Week 3 picks and we’ll be RANKING KICKERS, because there’s no more exciting way to go into the weekend than ranking kickers.
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1. Jets blow out Patriots: Grades and notes from New York’s big win
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The Jets’ home opener went a lot better this year than it did last year for Aaron Rodgers. In 2023, Rodgers only lasted four snaps before tearing his Achilles, but this year he showed that he’s fully over that injury by leading the Jets to a dominant 24-3 win over the Patriots.
Here are our grades from last night’s game:
JETS GRADE: A
It took three weeks, but Aaron Rodgers finally looked fully comfortable on the field and if we learned one thing from Thursday’s game, it’s that a fully comfortable Aaron Rodgers is a dangerous Aaron Rodgers. The Jets QB diced up the Patriots defense by completing 27 fo 35 passes to eight different receivers. Not only did Rodgers throw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, but he showed off his mobility with three runs for 18 yards. Rodgers was in total command of a Jets offense that piled up 400 yards, and if this is a sign of things to come, there’s no reason this team can’t compete for a playoff spot. Rodgers was so good that he overshadowed a nearly perfect performance by a Jets defense that totaled seven sacks — with two of those coming from Will McDonald — while also surrendering just 139 yards. This was a dominant win by a Jets team that suddenly feels dangerous.
Jets notes
Aaron Rodgers finally throws a TD pass to a first-round pick. Aaron Rodgers has been in the NFL since 2005 and he’s thrown nearly 500 touchdown passes in his career, but before Thursday night he had NEVER thrown a TD to a receiver who was drafted in the first round. That drought finally came to an end when he hit Garrett Wilson for a 2-yard score during the third quarter against the Patriots.
Aaron Rodgers has been in the NFL since 2005 and he’s thrown nearly 500 touchdown passes in his career, but before Thursday night he had NEVER thrown a TD to a receiver who was drafted in the first round. That drought finally came to an end when he hit Garrett Wilson for a 2-yard score during the third quarter against the Patriots. Jets end their Patriots curse. The win by the Jets marked the first time since 2015 that they’ve beaten New England at home. It also marked the first time in 15 years that the Jets have beaten the Patriots in two straight games.
PATRIOTS GRADE: D-
The Patriots were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this year and after playing two surprisingly good games to start the season, the bad Patriots finally showed up. Playing behind a battered offensive line that was missing multiple starters, Jacoby Brissett never really had any time to throw and Rhamondre Stevenson never really had any room to run. If you can’t throw the ball or run the ball, it’s hard to win in the NFL. Brissett was sacked five times and Stevenson ran for just 23 yards on a night where New England only had 139 total yards. The Patriots defense also struggled, but that’s what happens when your offense can’t move the ball and you get stuck on the field for more than 40 minutes. The only silver lining for Patriots fans is that they finally got to see the debut of Drake Maye.
Patriots notes
Patriots can’t pass or score. The Patriots passing offense officially hit rock bottom on Thursday night. New England’s passing total was just 61 yards and the Pats now have just 306 passing yards through three games, which is the team’s lowest total through three weeks since 1991. The Patriots also didn’t score a touchdown on Thursday night, which marks the sixth time since the start of the 2023 season that they’ve gone an entire game without a TD. That’s the most the NFL, edging out the Giants and Panthers, who have both gone five games without a TD in that period.
The Patriots passing offense officially hit rock bottom on Thursday night. New England’s passing total was just 61 yards and the Pats now have just 306 passing yards through three games, which is the team’s lowest total through three weeks since 1991. The Patriots also didn’t score a touchdown on Thursday night, which marks the sixth time since the start of the 2023 season that they’ve gone an entire game without a TD. That’s the most the NFL, edging out the Giants and Panthers, who have both gone five games without a TD in that period. Drake Maye makes his debut. It wasn’t flashy, but the rookie quarterback saw his first action Jerod Mayo wouldn’t commit to starting Jacoby Brissett going forward. That being said, he had a slightly different tune on Friday morning when he was asked about the QB situation,