Has the blaming game for the Jets begun? The mistakes in the defeat against the Vikings have turned the early season optimism sour. They started with two wins out of three but now find themselves down 2-3. In London, the Jets fell behind early on before a comeback. Then with just a little more than three minutes left on the clock and trailing by six, the Jets had the ball but Aaron Rodgers threw an interception to seal their 23-17 loss. This summed up the QB’s game and cornerback Sauce Gardner was left frustrated.

Rodgers did not have his best of days in a Jets jersey. He threw a couple of avoidable interceptions in the first half for the first time in his career, one of which ended up being a pick-six. The interception in the last minute of the game was his third, only the sixth time he has thrown that many in his illustrious career.

He finished 29-of-54 passing for 244 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions for a 54.9 passer rating. Moreover, for the first time since 2012, Rodgers is under .500 through five starts, according to NFL Research, and dropped back 54 times against the Vikings. Clearly not what the Jets had in mind when they signed him.

While the QB was critical of himself and the team’s performance, Gardner appeared to throw shade at him in a tweet after another poor result. Gardner wrote, “If a QB throws the ball and it is blanket coverage, they are 100% throwing the ball and hoping it’s a flag. lol.” The Vikings were well capable of blocking the quarterback since he had no choice but to play risky moves. Rodgers took several chances in the game, but even as an experienced quarterback, he was unable to breach the Viking defense.

Perhaps fearing a backlash, given his own performance was not up to the mark, Gardner deleted the tweet afterward. It is also possible that he saw how the tweet could damage team harmony, especially after Rodgers’s rallying cry after the defeat.

Speaking after the game, he said, “We’re playing below our potential. Too many mistakes. You know, I thought until now, I think we’ve only had two turnovers, which was good, because you give yourselves a chance. But we’re slow starters.” The Jets indeed have been slow starters in the offense, scoring just 14 points in the first quarter in their opening five games.

Though they were able to register two wins to start the campaign on a bright note, things are unraveling quickly for Robert Saleh’s side. But Rodgers remains confident of a turnaround. He said, “There will be a lot of people outside the building who won’t be sticking with the Jets. So if we stick together I still have a lot of confidence in this team. I think it’s a team that’s going to make a run, and whether that run starts next week, the following week, or whenever it might be, I’m confident in our guys and I’m confident in the leadership and confident we’ll get this thing straightened out.”

The turnaround needs to happen and happen fast. In the Vikings game, they left points on the field and never got going. The offense has struggled and the team hasn’t been able to establish a strong ground game. Rodgers was hit 11 times against the Vikings, in Week 4 against the Broncos he was hit 14 times. Rodgers also analyzed his performance and wasn’t happy.

He mentioned, “Obviously, I was below my standard. I just found out that I’ve never thrown two picks in the first quarter before. So, that’s a first. One of them cost obviously a seven. The other could have cost three. In a game where you lose by six, plays like that are exponentially highlighted. Three turnovers for me is definitely out of character and disappointing.” Rodgers also injured his ankle in the game but carried on and afterward said that it was a low ankle sprain.

For Gardner as well, the game was not his best showing. Taking on Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison was never going to be easy and the Jets ended up conceding more than a few penalties. Gardner himself was hit on a few of the penalties. Not only this but he also suffered a head injury during the game and had to be taken off, but returned midway through the fourth quarter.

This is the second week in a row where Gardner has made a tweet, only to delete it later. Following the 9-10 defeat to the Broncos, a fan called him out on X and wrote, “Learn to tackle.” The CB was quick to respond with his stats from the game as he wrote, “5+ tackles, 0 catches allowed. Stick to watching the Giants bud.”

The defeat against the Vikings also saw some questionable penalties go against the Jets, but Gardner wasn’t overly critical of the officiating.

Sauce Gardner not criticizing refs over some decisions.

Cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed combined for five penalties, including one series with three that led to the Vikings’ lone offensive touchdown. Gardner was penalized for illegal contact, holding, and pass interference, while Reed was called for pass interference twice and Coach Robert Saleh wasn’t happy about the calls.

He said, “There was one on D.J. I thought was a legit penalty but it was probably more illegal contact or holding, not a DPI. But the rest of them, I don’t understand them. I need clarification from the NFL officiating team.” However, Gardner was more than willing to let things slide.

The Jets now face the Bills, who are also reeling after suffering defeat against the Texans. Given the slump of form for the Jets, the next week’s game takes more importance for them.

What are your opinions about this? Do you believe Aaron Rodgers was the reason the Jets lost today?