Aaron Rodgers is encouraging his Jets teammates to enter the darkness of their minds.
With the season spiraling to a 2-5 start after four straight losses entering Sunday’s must-win game at the lowly Patriots, Rodgers said multiple times Tuesday that turning things around “starts with me.”
He was referring to both his performance and his leadership.
Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets walks onto the field during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Getty Images“I think you have to get yourself to a point — whether you are 2-5 or 5-2 or wherever you are in between — ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ and take your mind to that spot and deal with it,” Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. “And, ‘What’s the best that can happen?’ and take your mind to that spot and deal with it. But deal with it and then move on and play free.”
The Jets allowed 31 unanswered points to close out a 37-15 loss to the Steelers — sucking out any momentum gained from last week’s trade for receiver Davante Adams and the pregame news that pass rusher Haason Reddick ended his season-long holdout.
The pressure is building on a playoff-or-bust season that already has resulted in a fired head coach (Robert Saleh) and demoted offensive coordinator (Nathaniel Hackett).
“The worst that can happen [is] we don’t turn this around, things go south and a lot of us are in a different stratosphere,” Rodgers said. “Deal with that. Are you going to be OK after that? Yeah.
“What’s the best that can happen? We embrace the energy that’s shifted in two weeks, we play free, we do the little things … and we go on a run and do something magical.”
Rodgers is drawing on a couple past experiences from his 20-year career.
His Packers started 4-6 in 2016 before winning eight straight to reach the NFC Championship Game and 4-8 in 2022 before winning four straight to get to a win-and-in Week 18 game for a playoff spot (lost).
Aaron Rodgers on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Oct. 22, 2024. The Pat McAfee Show“Personally, and as a team, we’re playing with too much anger, not enough enjoyment,” Rodgers said “It’s fun when you win, of course, but I think there are ways of taking some of the pressure off. And it has to start with me this week — with my energy and my approach. We have to respond to adversity a little bit better, and I have to lead the way with that.”
The four-time MVP, who has the lowest interception rate in NFL history, has thrown six picks in his last three games.
He was left wishing for a couple do-overs against the Steelers.
“The power of belief is a snowball that can start in an avalanche,” Rodgers said, “and I think that’s what we need.”
The vaunted Jets defense is under fire after allowing six plays of at least 20 yards to the offensively challenged Steelers in quarterback Russell Wilson’s debut.
But the secondary has been shredded by injury, so Rodgers put the onus on his side of the ball.
“In New York — good, bad or indifferent — for the last long stretch it’s been ‘Win with defense,’” Rodgers said. “We joke about it being a defensive organization … and it’s kind of been, at times, in spite of the offense. Offensively, we need to adjust that mindset. Instead of, ‘Let’s go play well,’ it’s, ‘Let’s win the game on offense.’ I know it seems like a little thing, but mindset is everything.”
