It has been 373 days since New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was injured during the 2023 season home opener vs. the Buffalo Bills. And now in a Thursday Night Football matchup vs. the New England Patriots, Rodgers will play his second career home game in MetLife Stadium.
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In view of this season, after losing to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football (32-19) on September 9, the Jets bounced back and beat the Tennessee Titans (24-17) on September 15. With this in mind, the 40-year-old will now play his third game in an 11-day span.
Rodgers, who is currently the oldest player in the NFL, noted that at his age, every day of rest matters.
"Testing the body for sure. We love to play, so shorter time between games is great. But it's definitely tough on the body, tough on the week," Rodgers said after Tuesday's practice. "It's easier for a guy who's 20 than a guy who's 40."
"But I'll be ready to go Thursday night and then look forward to the three days off."
To point out, it is amazing that Rodgers has even gotten to where he is now, recovering from his season-ending last year, when he ruptured his left Achilles on the fourth offensive play of the season.
"I feel good about it. It's been a long time since I took the field at JetLife, so it'll be a lot of emotions for sure," Rodgers pointed out. "But thankfully we're already into the third game of the season. We've played two full games."
So far in his first two games, the four-time NFL MVP has completed 31-of-51 passes, throwing for 343 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
"My body feels good, about as good as it can. It'll be fun to be out there with the crowd. I love night games, so I'm excited about it. Nobody's really crazy about Thursday games, but everybody loves the weekend after the Thursday games."
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