It felt like it was just a matter of time.
Tyler Conklin is a pass-catching tight end who has been one of the Jets' most reliable and most productive pass-catchers over the past two seasons.
Those numbers were expected to be even higher this year with a healthy Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball to him.
Still, Conklin entered the Jets' home opener against the Patriots on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium with two receptions for 16 yards in his first two games.
The Jets' third game of the season proved that a two-game sample size is too small to judge where Conklin's season is headed.
He caught five passes for 93 yards and was a key part of the Jets' 24-3 win over the Patriots.
Conklin has been a solid pass-catching product the past two seasons, catching 61 passes for 621 yards last season and 58 passes for 552 yards and four touchdowns in 2022, so his lack of involvement in the passing game was puzzling.
“I'm not worried about it,” Conklin told The Post before the game about the team's poor performance so far. “These things happen. I'm not worried about who's going to get the ball.”
“I said the other day the ball was going to come eventually,” Conklin said after the game. “It just happened to come my way a little bit today.”
Mr. Conklin was Rogers' best friend on the night.
He was an outlet for Rodgers to get out of the pocket and find the open man on some of Rodgers' typical improvisational plays.
He caught a pass for 22 yards on second down and 17 on the second scoring drive, then caught another pass for 22 yards on third down and 9 late in the first half.
Then, on the Jets' first scoring drive of the third quarter, he kept the drive going with an 18-yard catch on third down and three.
On the 18-yard gain, Conklin saw the end zone and saw what looked like a wide, inviting green pasture.
He didn't score a TD last season and hasn't scored one since 2022.
“I'm still chasing it,” Conklin said with a smile about ending his scoreless streak. “It was an elusive goal. I thought I had a chance, but I felt like I had guys around me and I just wanted to make sure I had the ball more than anything.”
“Aaron had some good chances to get out of the pocket,” Conklin continued. “I went all out for him and he was very comfortable catching the ball.
“I'm trying to be an all-around tight end and play well in the run game, and I think I've been able to do that, but it's definitely going to be really good to go out there and get a feel for the ball, get some touches in the passing game and get some form and momentum going into the rest of the season.”
