If the Jets are in playoff contention late in the season, injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers knows that Sunday’s ugly overtime win over the Giants will be part of the reason.
“Like we say in golf, they don’t drop pictures in the scorecard. They don’t really drop pictures in the standings either,” Rodgers said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” “A win is a win and those ones seem to always count a little bit more late in the season. Being 4-3 now and coming away with a win in that ugly game is going to make things a little bit more interesting as we get into November and December.
“It wasn’t a pretty game, but that s–t doesn’t matter. At the end of the season, when you’re vying for playoff spots, that one counts in the ‘W’ column.”
Rodgers threw passes on the field during pregame warmups and said he’s “continuing to make progress” in his rehab from Achilles surgery in September.
The four-time MVP reiterated that he’s still targeting a return to the lineup before the season is over.
“For sure. I mean, the goal is to come back and the goal is to be able to have that conversation,” the 39-year-old Rodgers said. “Again, there’s still a lot that has to happen, but every week there seems to be a progression.
“There’s still a long way to go and a lot of things have to happen. We obviously have to be still alive, but God I love the vibe on our team.”
General manager Joe Douglas, speaking with the media Thursday for the first time since the season started, said he expects Rodgers to be back with the team this season but did not say he expects him to play.
He is not putting any timeline on a Rodgers return.
Zach Wilson replaced Rodgers after the first offensive series in the season opener, and the former No. 2-overall pick has quarterbacked the Jets to four wins in seven games (six starts), including a three-game winning streak entering Monday night’s game against the Chargers.
Wilson didn’t have a strong game against the Giants, but he led them down the field for a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation and again in overtime for a 13-10 comeback victory.
“Obviously our defense has been incredible, and offensively, we’ve gone through our struggles for sure … but I’m proud of our guys,” Rodgers said. “And I’m really proud of Zach there late in the game with two really huge throws and a clock with a second left to get us in a position.”
Of his pregame catch session, Rodgers joked that he was “throwing some darts,” but the most important thing was to “feel like I’m part of it” with his teammates.
“That felt great honestly,” Rodgers said. “Last week was a tough week of rehab. But we kind of adjusted some things with shoes and with my insoles, and later in the week I really started to progress kind of back onto what I was doing before that.
“And that was honestly the goal, to just kind of keep on getting better, to be able to do a little bit more. I’ve been doing more in my rehab and feeling like I can kind of get into a little abbreviated left-right, left-right drop. And I just felt normal just to be out there and throw. … That’s why I’ve been flying back here to see the guys, encouraging them, to be on the headset. For me that’s just fun to be able to feel like I’m kind of a part of it, and not too distant from the squad.”
Rodgers added he still hasn’t resumed jogging and can’t “walk on the beach,” but he has begun some light cardio work.
“Sometimes when you’re in it, it doesn’t feel like anything’s happening and stagnant, some sort of plateau,” Rodgers said, “But then you look back and think, ‘I was walking on crutches, about a month ago.’
“Now I’m able to take some drop-backs, put legitimate weight onto it, transfer my weight, get onto my front foot, do really high-percentage body-weight walking and calf raises. We’re just progressing, so it’s been really good.”
