Will the New York Jets give Aaron Rodgers a chance to throw his 500th touchdown pass this weekend?
After starting the season 2-6, the Miami Dolphins somehow enter Week 18 with meaningful football left to be played. However, the same can’t be said for Aaron Rodgers and the 4-12 New York Jets.
The Buffalo Bills steamrolled the Jets 40-14 last week. Rodgers threw for a season-low 112 passing yards in the loss, but all signs indicate that he’ll end the season behind center against the Dolphins on Sunday.
“We replaced Aaron in part because of the protection issues,” Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich said following the loss, later mentioning that the plan is for Rodgers to start his 17th game of the season.
Rodgers was sacked four times and intercepted twice while completing 12 of 18 pass attempts before exiting the game early in the fourth quarter. Tyrod Taylor, now playing for his seventh different team, stepped in and led a pair of touchdown-scoring drives to close out the game.
Rodgers, sitting at 499 career touchdown passes, is chasing No. 500 which could play into the decision. He’s thrown 24 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions while ranking No. 12 with 3,623 passing yards through 16 games.
Sunday marks the second matchup between New York and Miami after the Dolphins won 32-26 in overtime on Dec. 8. Rodgers completed 27 of 39 pass attempts for 339 yards and a touchdown but will now face a Dolphins defense coming off its best performance of the season, holding the Cleveland Browns to just three points last week.