Jets' Aaron Rodgers returns to huge cheers for 1st home game since Achilles tendon injury last year

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — No American flag this time for Aaron Rodgers. But a thunderous ovation greeted the New York Jets quarterback as he jogged onto the field at MetLife Stadium.

Rodgers was home again and ready to play. Finally.

The 40-year-old four-time MVP made his first home start Thursday night since leaving his debut with the Jets with a torn Achilles tendon just over a year ago. And he walked off a winner after he helped lead New York to a dominant 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots.

Rodgers was the last Jets player introduced to the crowd — “And, your quarterback ...,” blared the public address announcer — before the game and the fans, many wearing green and white No. 8 jerseys, went into a frenzy. Fireworks lit up the night sky and the LED wristbands given to the fans in attendance made the stands glow in a sea of green light.

And he delivered some excitement in the first half, helping the Jets to a 14-3 lead.

Rodgers' first touchdown at home with the Jets went to his former Green Bay teammate Allen Lazard, who raced from the end zone right to his quarterback to give him the ball and help Rodgers celebrate the moment.

Rodgers finished 27 of 35 for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and also was able to keep plays alive with his legs all night.

“This was kind of a first step in playing like I know I’m capable of playing,” he said after the game. “I felt like I was, you know, myself.”

The last time Rodgers jogged onto the field to play at MetLife Stadium, he emerged from the tunnel carrying an American flag on Sept. 11, 2023, the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The crowd roared while the flag fluttered behind him.

Rodgers called it one of the most special moments of his playing career.

Minutes later, the excitement and jubilation were replaced by the shocking sight of the quarterback struggling to get up and off the field. Rodgers had torn his left Achilles tendon on the fourth snap of his Jets debut.

Tests confirmed the diagnosis the next day. He had surgery on Sept. 13.

Rodgers said he had brief thoughts of doubt immediately after the injury, wondering if it was the last time he'd ever play. He turned that into motivation, aiming for an unlikely return late last season if the Jets made the playoffs. Once New York fell out of the postseason hunt, Rodgers focused on being ready for Week 1 this year.

He made it, and Rodgers was solid but unspectacular in a season-opening loss to San Francisco followed by a win at Tennessee during which he went 5 for 5 passing to lead the Jets on a winning touchdown drive. Rodgers entered the game against the Patriots with three touchdown passes, 343 yards passing and an interception.

And now he's back at MetLife Stadium, looking forward to further pushing the disappointment of his last start at home by creating a few other memorable moments. For the right reasons this time around.

“I mean, I feel good about it. It’s been a long time since I took the field at ‘JetLife,’” Rodgers said earlier this week. “So, it’ll be a lot of emotions, for sure. But we’re thankfully already into the third game of the season.

“Played two full games, body feels good, about as good as it can on a short week.”

The Jets played their third game in 11 days to start the season, a tough stretch for any player, let alone a 40-year-old quarterback still shaking off the rust from a long layoff and playing with a surgically repaired Achilles tendon.

“Testing the body, for sure,” Rodgers said. "I’ll be ready to go Thursday night and look forward to three days off.”

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) reacts during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) motions to fans as he walks off the field after playing against the New England Patriots in an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes against the New England Patriots during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) steps back to pass against the New England Patriots during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) steps back to pass against the New England Patriots during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes against the New England Patriots during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks to pass against the New England Patriots during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes against the New England Patriots during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

BEIRUT (AP) — Chris Knayzeh was in a town overlooking Lebanon's capital when he heard the rumbling aftershock of the 2020 Beirut port blast. Hundreds of tons of haphazardly stored ammonium nitrates had exploded, killing and injuring thousands of people.

Already struggling with the country’s economic collapse, the sight of the gigantic mushroom cloud unleashed by the blast was the last straw. Like many other Lebanese, he quit his job and booked a one-way ticket out of Lebanon.

Knayzeh was in Lebanon visiting when news broke Tuesday that hundreds of handheld pagers had exploded across the country, killing 12, injuring thousands and setting off fires. Israel, local news reports said, was targeting the devices of the militant Hezbollah group. Stuck in Beirut traffic, Knayzeh started panicking that drivers around him could potentially be carrying devices that would explode.

Within minutes, hospitals were flooded with patients, bringing back painful reminders of the port blast four years ago that killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,000, leaving enduring mental and psychological scars for those who lived through it.

In total, the explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies over two days killed at least 37 people and injured more than 3,000. Israel is widely believed to be behind the blasts, although it has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

“The country's state is unreal,” Knayzeh told The Associated Press.

The port blast was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, and it came on top of a historic economic meltdown, financial collapse and a feeling of helplessness after nationwide protests against corruption that failed to achieve their goals. It compounded years of crises that have upended the lives of people in this small country.

Four years after the port catastrophe, an investigation has run aground. The ravaged Mediterranean port remains untouched, its towering silos standing broken and shredded as a symbol of a country in ruins. Political divisions and paralysis have left the country without a president or functioning government for more than two years. Poverty is on the rise.

On top of that and in parallel with Israel’s war in Gaza, Lebanon has been on the brink of all-out war with Israel for the past year, with Israel and Hezbollah trading fire and Israeli warplanes breaking the sound barrier over Beirut almost daily, terrorizing people in their homes and offices.

“I can’t believe this is happening again. How many more disasters must we endure?” said Jocelyn Hallak, a mother of three, two of whom now work abroad and the third headed out after graduation next year. “All this pain, when will it end?”

A full-blown war with Israel could be devastating for Lebanon. The country’s crisis-battered health care system had been preparing for the possibility of conflict with Israel even before hospitals became inundated with the wounded from the latest explosions, many of them in critical condition and requiring extended hospital stays.

Still, Knayzeh, now a lecturer at a university in France, can't stay away. He returns regularly to see his girlfriend and family. He flinches whenever he hears construction work and other sudden loud sounds. When in France, surrounded by normalcy, he agonizes over family at home while following the ongoing clashes from afar.

“It’s the attachment to our country I guess, or at the very least attachment to our loved ones who couldn’t leave with us,” he said.

This summer, tens of thousands of Lebanese expatriates came to visit family and friends despite the tensions. Their remittances and money they spend during the holidays help keep the country afloat and in some cases are the main source of income for families. Many, however, cut their vacations short in chaotic airport scenes, fearing major escalation after the dual assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas commanders in Beirut and Tehran last month, blamed on Israel.

Even in a country that has vaulted from one crisis to another for decades, the level of confusion, insecurity and anger is reaching new heights. Many thought the port blast was the most surreal and frightening thing they would ever experience — until thousands of pagers exploded in people’s hands and pockets across the country this week.

’’I saw horrific things that day,” said Mohammad al-Mousawi, who was running an errand in Beirut’s southern suburb, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, when the pagers began blowing up.

“Suddenly, we started seeing scooters whizzing by carrying defaced men, some without fingers, some with their guts spilling out. Then the ambulances started coming."

It reminded him of the 2020 port blast, he said. "The number of injuries and ambulances was unbelievable. “

“One more horror shaping our collective existence,” wrote Maha Yahya, the Beirut-based director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.

“The shock, the disarray, the trauma is reminiscent of Beirut after the port explosion. Only this time it was not limited to a city but spread across the country,” she said in a social media post.

In the aftermath of the exploding pagers, fear and paranoia has taken hold. Parents kept their children away from schools and universities, fearing more exploding devices. Organizations including the Lebanese civil defense advised personnel to switch off their devices and remove all batteries until further notice. One woman said she disconnected her baby monitor and other household appliances.

Lebanon’s civil aviation authorities have banned the transporting of pagers and walkie-talkies on all airplanes departing from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport “until further notice.” Some residents were sleeping with their phones in another room.

In the southern city of Tyre, ahead of a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, city resident Hassan Hajo acknowledged feeling “a bit depressed” after the pager blasts, a major security breach for a secretive organization like Hezbollah. He was hoping to get a boost from Nasrallah’s speech. “We have been through worse before and we got through it,” he said.

In his speech, Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against Israel for the attacks on devices, while Israel and Hezbollah traded heavy fire across the border. Israel stepped up warnings of a potential larger military operation targeting the group.

Another resident, Marwan Mahfouz, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening Lebanon with war for the past year and he should just do it.

“If we are going to die, we’ll die. We are already dying. We are already dead,” he said.

Karam reported from London. Associated Press writer Hassan Ammar contributed to this report.

FILE - People remove debris from a house damaged by a massive explosion in the seaport of Beirut, on Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

FILE - A survivor is taken out of the rubble after a massive explosion in Beirut, on Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

FILE - A police officer speaks with a protesting depositor as they stand in front of burning tires set on fire in front of a branch of Emirates Lebanese Bank in Dawra, a suburb north-east of Beirut, on Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

FILE - A protester holds up a Lebanese national flag as he walks in front of burning tires that are blocking a main road, during a protest in downtown Beirut, on March 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Hezbollah members carry the coffins of two of their comrades who were killed on Wednesday when a handheld device exploded, during a funeral procession in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

FILE - An anti-government protester flashes the victory sign amid tear gas fired by riot police during a protest marking the first anniversary of the massive blast at Beirut's port, near Parliament Square, in Beirut, on Aug. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

FILE - An Israeli reconnaissance drone flies over the funeral procession of four Hezbollah fighters who were killed Tuesday after their handheld devices exploded in the southern suburb of Beirut, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

A man mourns during the funeral procession of two Hezbollah members, killed on Wednesday when a handheld device exploded, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

FILE - A drone picture shows the scene of an explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

FILE - Police officers inspect a car inside of which a hand-held pager exploded, Beirut, on Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

FILE - A Civil Defense first-responder carries a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, on Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

FILE - Hezbollah fighters carry one of the coffins of four fallen comrades who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

FILE - Smoke rises after a massive explosion at the port in Beirut, on Aug. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)