You'll have to forgive Jets fans if they're a little annoying this week.
I'm sure there's someone in your life who has been talking about the Jets since Thursday night, wearing the green and white jersey. Maybe it's a coworker, someone at school, or even someone at your local deli.
Forgive Jets fans, they're a little excited, and rightfully so.
Some might look at this and say the Jets are just 2-1 and beat the weak Patriots 24-3 on Thursday night, but if you say that, you haven't watched many Jets games over the last decade or more.
There's a saying in football that players always seem to be climbing a hill, and too often the Jets have looked like their entire team is running an Everest-sized hill uphill.
So Jets fans were a little elated to see Aaron Rodgers in complete control of the game at MetLife Stadium last Thursday. It's not that Rodgers produced spectacular numbers; he didn't throw for 300 yards. It's that Rodgers looked like a quarterback in complete control of the game. The term “game manager” has become a negative for NFL quarterbacks, but I say it as the highest compliment to Rodgers. He controlled this game beautifully. Watching him analyze the Patriots defense was like watching a conductor in front of a symphony orchestra.
Rodgers has thrown two touchdown passes in each of the past two games, which again, you'll probably say isn't a big deal, in fact, Zach Wilson has thrown seven two-touchdown passes total in 34 games, with only two of those coming last season.
The Jets lead the NFL in third down success rate at 56.76%. It may be hard for Jets fans to convey how surprising this is. Last year, the Jets were held to just 25.96% success on third downs.
It was so desperate on third down that Jets fans wanted to adopt the Canadian rule and punt on third down.
And then there's the red zone. The Jets are third in the NFL with a 75% red zone touchdown rate, although they were last in 2023 with 32.43%.
Well, this isn't all going to last the whole season. Jets fans are realistic. I don't think anyone expects this team to be a “Greatest Show on Turf” contender, but this is a completely different feel than Jets fans have seen in a long time.
It's like the Jets' Bizarro world. Up is down, down is up. The Jets can push the ball downfield.
In a fourth-quarter tie game at Tennessee, it felt like the Jets were going to win. When was the last time you said that? It felt like Rodgers was going to carry the ball down the field while the Titans made mistakes.
It wasn't the Jets quarterback who made the silly fumble, it was the opposing quarterback, Will Revis. After the Patriots game, it was Jerrod Mayo, not Robert Saleh, who answered the question about who the starting quarterback would be next week. The Dolphins are now a team dealing with a quarterback injury and relying on Tim Boyle. Jets fans saw the end of that movie.
It's a strange time in Jets world. There's legitimate hope here. Jets fans being Jets fans, there's bound to be some anxiety, deep down, that something dark is lurking just around the corner.
But that's something to worry about another day.
With Rodgers at the helm, a strong supporting cast on offense and a defense that has seemed to find its footing over the past six quarters, these Jets look like favorites to win.
Now Rodgers and the Jets must emulate Tom Brady and the Patriots of old and continue to improve as the season progresses, a team that consistently stumbled early before picking up steam around Halloween and cruising all the way to the playoffs.
The Jets still have some issues to iron out, but unlike in the past, they have a quarterback who gives them reason to believe they can solve them.
Get used to having annoying Jets fans in your life, I don't think they're going to be quiet for a while.
