LONDON — The Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers in moments like Sunday.
Trailing by six points with three minutes left, the Jets forced the Vikings into position. Rodgers had the ball and called two timeouts, but Rodgers was unable to produce results.
Instead, Rodgers threw an interception to Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore with 44 seconds left in the game, ending any hopes of a comeback at Tottenham Stadium. Instead, the Jets lost 23-17 to Minnesota, dropping to 2-3 on the season.
The Jets dug themselves a big hole early, 17-0, as Rodgers had two interceptions in the first quarter, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Despite the sluggish start, the Jets fought back and had a chance to win in the final minutes.
Rodgers and the Jets got the ball with 3:07 remaining at their own 30. Rodgers hit Garrett Wilson for 16 yards, followed by Allen Lazard for two quick scores.
A slant to Wilson and a 7-yard run by Breece Hall moved the ball to the 26. After two fumbles, Rodgers tried to throw to Mike Williams down the sideline, but Williams didn't seem to expect the pass and Gilmore picked it off instead.
It was an unexpected ending for the Jets, who controlled the game for much of the second half.
The Vikings had the ball with a 10-point lead and just over 10 minutes left in the game, but were unable to move the ball and former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold returned to the quarterback that Jets fans remember best. . Darnold threw high to Jordan Addison, and Jets backup cornerback Brandin Echols made a diving interception, giving the Jets the ball at the Minnesota 42 with 9:47 left in the game.
Rodgers, slow since injuring his knee in the third quarter, marched the Jets to the end zone. He completed a third-and-10 throw to Williams for 18 yards and brought the Jets within 10 yards.
The Vikings then received a costly penalty when Gilmore was called for pass interference on Wilson on an incomplete third-and-goal from two, giving the Jets another down. On first down, Rodgers hit a wide-open Wilson for a 1-yard touchdown. With 6:04 left in the game, the Jets were leading 20-17.
The Vikings got the ball back at their own 30 and were able to drive to the Jets' 23, but stumbled. Will Reichard made his third field goal of the day, a 41-yard field goal, putting the Vikings up 23-17 with 3:07 left in the game.
The Jets got off to a terrible start, continuing the poor play that plagued them in last week's loss to the Broncos.
Rodgers threw two interceptions in the first quarter, something he had never done before in his career. One of them was a pick-six that gave the Vikings an early lead. The offense struggled to get going and it looked like the Vikings were going to break them, but the Jets stabilized things at the end of the first half. Defensively, the Jets' biggest problem was penalties. The secondary was penalized five times as it struggled to contain Vikings star Justin Jefferson. However, after early success, the Vikings offense and Darnold were in disarray.
Jets defensive end Will McDonald sacked Darnold on third down, stopping the Vikings' first drive. It was McDonald's sixth sack of the season. The Vikings had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
The Jets defense got a takeaway on the Vikings' second possession when Darnold's throw to running back Ty Chandler went uncaught. Jets linebacker Quincy Williams scooped up the ball, but was tripped by Darnold, averting a potential touchdown.
However, the Jets were unable to capitalize on the turnover. Instead, Rodgers gave the Vikings a score. The Vikings rushed on third down and Rodgers quickly tried to throw to Wilson. He threw it into outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel's arms without seeing him fall. Van Ginkel then ran 63 yards for a touchdown, giving Minnesota a 10-0 lead.
On the next series, Rodgers threw a third down pass aimed at Allen Lazard, which was picked off by Vikings safety Camryn Bynum.
The Jets finished the first quarter with two turnovers and no first downs.
The Vikings had some success running the ball early, but lost star back Aaron Jones to a hip injury.
The Jets finally moved the ball in the second quarter, but in the Minnesota 26 game, Braylon Allen went 2-for-4 with no gains.
The Vikings then advanced up the field with the help of Jets defensive backs and officials. Three penalties were called against the Jets' secondary on one drive. Sauce Gardner was called for pass interference and holding, and DJ Reed was called for pass interference. The Vikings put together an eight-play, 74-yard drive that ended with Vikings fullback CJ Ham scoring from the 2-yard line to give the Vikings a 17-0 lead with 3:58 left in the first half.
Xavier Gipson made a 35-yard punt return just before halftime, giving the Jets the ball at the Minnesota 31. Rodgers stole the ball with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Lazard, and the Jets entered halftime with just one down. Despite our terrible play, we still had a 10-point lead.
The Jets had a scary moment in the third quarter when Rodgers was hit by Jihad Ward on third down and twisted his left knee, hitting other players on the ground as he went down. Rogers sat up slowly and limped. Rodgers was already suffering from knee pain from the beating he took from the Broncos last week. He was headed to the blue medical tent when the Jets suffered another down on a rough-the-kicker penalty against the Vikings.
Instead of going into the tent, Rodgers trotted back onto the field, and the Jets put together a spectacular 17-play drive. They stalled in the red zone, but Greg Zuerlein hit a 32-yard field goal in the final moments of the third quarter to cut Minnesota's lead to 17-10.
The Vikings restored the lead to 20-10 on Reichard's 53-yard field goal with 12:07 left in the fourth quarter.
