Aaron Rodgers wants New York Jets fans to “trust” their struggling team as the 40-year-old drinks from the “fountain of youth” in his bid to end their five-game losing run in the NFL.
Quarterback Rodgers and his team-mates host the Houston Texans, who are top of the AFC South and have a 6-2 record, on Thursday Night Football, when they will attempt to recover from losing in last-gasp style at the New England Patriots on Sunday.
“Just smile, show up, trust, believe,” Rodgers said when he was asked if he had a message for supporters who have seen the Jets go 2-6 to start the season.
“Root us on as you hard as you can. We need that noise. We’re trying to rectify this as quickly as possible. We know it’s been frustrating for everybody but there’s still a lot of season left.
“We need to focus on doing our part, and that’s scoring 28-plus. We’ve been talking about it a lot – nine or ten [players at a time are] doing it right, one or two not. Sometimes it’s me.”
Coach Ulbrich on @Haason7Reddick‘s playing situation for TNF: pic.twitter.com/k3kim4FJIB
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 29, 2024
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Aaron Rodgers injury
Having made a high-profile return from an achilles injury that kept him out for almost all of last season, Rodgers has been drinking cayenne pepper and water provided by punter Thomas Morstead.
“Timo gave me a little fountain of youth he said he’s been taking for a while – all legal, of course,” he explained. “He gave me some before the game.
“I felt pretty good. I’m here when I’m here, and I do rehab, and I go home and do more rehab. I’m looking after myself non-stop.
“My left achilles – thanks to the doc and the rehab I did – felt incredible. The rest of my body hasn’t held up as well but that hasn’t been an issue.”
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Jets vs Texans
“I was hurting [after Sunday’s game] but feel better,” said Rodgers. “We hate these [Thursday] games because they’re a short week but we love them because the weekend feels a lot better when you win.”
Rodgers said he takes part of the responsibility for a run of form that cost coach Robert Saleh his job on October 8 with the Jets 2-3.
“I’ve got to play better,” rued the former Super Bowl MVP. “I’ve got to be more efficient – I’ve turned the ball over too many times. Interceptions can be misleading at times but I’ve definitely had my share of poor throws.”
