Aaron Rodgers presumably spent most of Thursday preparing for the Jets' primetime showdown with the Patriots, but it seems he also got up to speed on the NFL debate du jour.
Rodgers and the Jets ultimately stole the show, rolling to an easy 24-3 win over New England on "Thursday Night Football," the future Hall of Famer's first (full) home game as Jets quarterback.
Earlier in the day, though, Kiper made headlines of his own with a rant on ESPN's "First Take" about the state of offense in the NFL.The longtime draft expert got up on his soapbox about old-school National Football League action.
After listing a bunch of old dudes who played the position 40 years ago, Kiper teed off on defenses relying on two-high safeties, insisting the NFL is being "ruined" by those Cover-2 schemes.
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Points for passion, if nothing else.
Anyway, so Rodgers goes out and puts forth one of his best performances in years. The Jets quarterback looked fully healthy, completing 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He took what the Patriots defense gave him and let his dynamic playmakers do their jobs, including Garrett Wilson, who got on the board with a touchdown in the third quarter.
After the game, Rodgers couldn't help but needle Kiper.
"The entire focus of all three defenses we've played have been taking (Wilson) away. It's been Mel Kiper's worst nightmare: a lot of Cover-2," Rodgers said in his postgame press conference. "And when there's times where we get one-high, we try to go to him, but a lot of two-high in all three games. They're shading to him, even with stud corners. ... Not a lot of singles, so that's a tribute to Garrett and his talent."
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Now, Rodgers, Wilson and the Jets get an extended break ahead of a Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos, where Patrick Surtain II might give New York a slightly different look.
Featured image via Brad Penner/Imagn Images
