Deli coffee… That’s the best New York has to offer. Yes, even during this NFL season. (The best thing Jets fans have going for them this season). Sitting at 3-9 after a rough 26-21 loss to the Seahawks, it’s looking like not even Aaron Rodgers can save the day. Forget that.

Sure, he’s 40, just a day shy of becoming 41, and no longer slinging it like peak A-Rod. But when he’s under center, the last thing you expect is the mistakes, right? But, even the best of the best are not immune to it.

Midway through the 2nd quarter, Rodgers threw his first red zone interception of the season, his second pick-six of the year. Leonard Williams dropped into coverage and Rodgers didn’t see. The QB tried to force a quick throw to Wilson, but Williams picked it off and then ran it 92 yards for a touchdown. According to ESPN, it is the longest pick-six for a defensive lineman in NFL history, coming from Williams, a former Jets first-round pick. It was a potential 13-point turnaround for the Jets. But starting with the pick-six, the Seahawks scored 19 consecutive points to end the game. And can you imagine how Williams rubbed salt on that wound?”

After the game, the defensive lineman was asked about the play, how it unfolded, and why Rodgers threw the pass. Williams said, “I think he’s an older guy, doesn’t want to take big hits like that anymore. So, sometimes if you feel the guy coming, feel speed at him, he’s going to chuck it and duck. We had him in a situation where Mike [Macdonald] called a great call and it paid off.” After the game, Rodgers admitted that the moment cost the Jets the game. But despite that, Rodgers is not in for taking all the blame on himself.

He didn’t hold back in his post-game comments. When asked why his numbers are down despite being healthy, he quipped, “There’s 11 guys on the field. Sometimes it’s my fault,” according to Zack Rosenblatt of the Athletic. Classic Rodgers—part accountability, part tossing a subtle grenade into the huddle. Is it fair criticism or just frustration boiling over? Depends on who you ask.

Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich took the high road, preaching resilience. “Keep pushing. We don’t have a lot of options other than you keep working, you stay together,” he said. But the coach was not as clear when hurled with the question of Aaron Rodgers’ benching.

Ulbrich, for the first time since becoming interim head coach, did not even touch on his quarterback’s performance. Instead, he said that he needs to watch the film before he could comment. About the idea of Rodgers being benched for Tyrod Taylor, Ulbrich said: “Not as of today.” Well, we note that it was not an outright “no”!

It would be surprising if Ulbrich replaces Rodgers with veteran Tyrod Taylor. But we can not rule that out altogether, can we? After all, Owner Woody Johnson suggested benching Rodgers when the team was 2-2, sources said after general manager Joe Douglas was fired on November 19. Now the Jets have clinched their ninth consecutive losing season. So, probably for the first time in his career Rodgers was questioned about him being benched. In his heydays, he must have been angered with those, but not now.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Rodgers said. “We’ll figure that out when we have those conversations.” The last time he was on the verge of being benched was in 2018, when the Green Bay Packers finished 6-9-1 in Mike McCarthy’s last season. Rodgers rebounded to win his third and fourth MVPs in 2020 and 2021, cementing his place in history. But gone are those days. Now he’ll “have conversations with (Ulbrich)” to see “if that’s what he’s thinking.” But how will he feel if he is really benched?

“It’s a hypothetical,” Rodgers said. “I’ll tell you after-the-fact if that happens.” Fact is, the numbers say that Rodgers’ has been slacking behind. As SNY’s Connor Hughes put it: “Aaron Rodgers has had five opportunities this year to drive down the field, score a touchdown or field goal, and win the game. The #Jets are 0-5 in those games.” For a team that banked on Rodgers to be the savior, the numbers paint a stark reality—Gang Green has been running out of gas all season long. The story so far: From watch us cook this season to let’s focus on the next. Now, the fandom has their pick to blame: Aaron Rodgers, it is.

Aaron Rodgers can’t hide after blowing the W against Seattle

The MetLife couldn’t hold on to a 21-7 lead for its life. That was the best of the Gang Green all season. But…blink the eyes…and poof, the lead was gone. Even before that interception, Rodgers had an overthrow on a second down from the Seattle 9. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson was wide open in the end zone, but the pass sailed over his head.

“The wind was a little inconsistent,” Rodgers explained in the postgame presser. “Maybe I should have thrown it a little flatter because he was wide open, but shoulda. I mean I gotta hit that. It doesn’t matter. Windy. I played in wind before. It was inconsistent, but I gotta hit that,” Rodgers said about that.

Rodgers’ performance? Make of this stat-sheet what you must. He finished 21-of-39 for 185 yards, two TDs, and the game-changing pick. This was his third straight game under 200 passing yards—hardly what the Jets envisioned when they rolled out the red carpet for him. So much hype about his return from missing his first season in New York due to the Achilles tear. But it’s hardly been worth the hype. And Rodgers himself is disappointed, indeed.

“It’s disappointing. What else can you say?” he said. “We’ve had a lot of chances in these situations. A lot of these games come down to one play, whether you make it or miss it. Sometimes that play happens in the second quarter. If I make that play, [it’s] 28-7 — a different ballgame.” But at the same time, brushing off any health concern, he said, “I feel great. That was as good as I’ve felt all season.”

At 3-9, the Jets are staring at another lost season. That’s punched, for sure (not the ticket to the playoffs). A top-five draft pick is now in play, and with it, the chance to grab their quarterback of the future. For a team already eyeing 2025 as a fresh start, it’s looking like both the coaching staff and the man under center could be getting a reset.