The New England Patriots and New York Jets meet face-to-face for the first time this season on Thursday night, marking the debut of Aaron Rodgers in the AFC division rivalry once ruled by Tom Brady. With new faces, new head coaches and new concerns on each side of the turf, the expectations are up in the air.
Rodgers didn't last a full quarter before suffering a season-ending Achilles tear, prompting questions about whether or not the 40-year-old quarterback's career had reached its end. Understandably, those concerns haven't fully escaped the minds of Jets fans who return to MetLife Stadium -- the scene of last season's Week 1 catastrophe -- to watch Rodgers battle for vengeance against Jacoby Brissett and the Patriots.
So... what should viewers expect?
"(Rodgers is) healthy but all Jets fans have this fear of the MetLife turf like no other," SNY's Connor Rogers told NESN's "Boston Has Entered The Chat" podcast. "So I think it'll be a sigh of relief after -- the broadcast, I'm sure, is gonna bring up the fourth play and I think the entrance will be more tamed this year compared to last year where it was a 9/11 game, carrying the American flag out. It was a big deal. They had the light show going at MetLife Stadium. I feel like it'll be a little more business-focused in this game."
Story continues below advertisement
New Yorkers aren't the only ones who share looming concerns regarding the MetLife Stadium turf, which notoriously receives backlash from players across the league. Patriots captain Jabril Peppers, too, isn't the biggest fan of the turf on which the 28-year-old stepped foot as a former member of the Jets, before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in 2021. Regardless, one AFC East team will walk off New York's low-grade field with a 2-1 record heading into Week 4.
For more, check out the full episode of NESN's "Boston Has Entered The Chat" here:
Featured image via Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / Imagn Images
