Aaron Rodgers Completes Incredible Hail Mary Pass But Jets Come Up Short Against Buffalo In Contentious Clash

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We may only be a third of the way through the NFL season, but it’s already been a very up-and-down one for fans and everyone else involved with the New York Jets in 2024. In week six, led now by interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich (following the firing of Robert Saleh), the MetLife Stadium franchise went down 20-23 to the Buffalo Bills, albeit not without a fight. 

The 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers rolled back the years to pull off an incredible 52-yard Hail Mary pass to wide receiver Allen Lazard. It was just the fourth Hail Mary touchdown of Rodgers’ epic career, but unfortunately, it was not enough to overcome the Bills.  

Rodgers, and pretty much anyone associated with the Jets, was not happy with the officials, who called 22 penalties in the game, 11 apiece, which the decorated quarterback deemed ‘ridiculous’.  

The Jets have now moved to 2-4 and need to overcome something of a mountain in order to end their lengthy postseason drought. Fans of the team who feel that the pairing of Rodgers and Ulbrich could help the team scale that mountain might want to place a bet to that effect, in which case these New York sports betting apps are the best options to consider.  

The Jets will have to hope that they can get their season back on track sooner rather than later, and they’ll need Rodgers to be back to his very best in order to have a chance of ending their long run without playoff action. 

Rodgers' fourth Hail Mary pass meant he became the first player to reach that milestone since 1970, but it was not enough to secure a victory. Lazard was full of praise for his team-mate after being the recipient of the massive pass. 

“We practice that at least once a week,’’ Lazard said in the New York Post. “And, being with Aaron at [Green Bay] with six years of doing that, I had a pretty good anticipation of where the ball is going to be. I was very fortunate to be able to come and come down with it. 

“Once it hit my hands, I had a pretty good grasp of the ball, and I knew how to secure it to the ground,’’ Lazard added. 

Rodgers’ three previous successful Hail Mary passes came in 2015, 2016 and 2017 during his lengthy successful spell at the Green Bay Packers, so his fourth has been a long time coming.  

Ulbrich was also glowing in his assessment of Rodgers.

“We’re fortunate that we have the best Hail Mary thrower in the history of this game,” Ulbrich said in an Associated Press report. “He made somebody pay again.” 

Having missed all of last season, suffering a season-ending injury during his Jets debut, Rodgers’ is looking to make up for lost time. He is now fighting fit but will need his teammates to get on the same page if the New York franchise has any hope of extending their season. 

2010 was the last time the Jets made it to the playoffs and they have gone through four head coaches in pursuit of a return to the promised land, and one wonders if 2024 could be the year to end that wait. 

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