Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are facing a critical moment in a season that's quickly turning from promising to potentially disastrous just seven weeks in.
They're 2-5 and on a four-game losing streak, and the talk of making a deep run in the playoffs has been muted. The challenge now for the Jets is simply winning again.
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New York Jets guard Xavier Newman is carted off the field after being injured in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
New York Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich watches fro the sideline in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) carries against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) in the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) scrambles from New York Jets defensive end Will McDonald IV (99) in the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) tosses the ball as he is brought down by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) in the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
“There will be some ups and downs, some tough moments,” Rodgers said after the Jets' 37-15 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday night. “You've got to keep doing the little things. That's what it comes down to. We just don't do the little things well enough, consistently enough — myself included.”
New York added Davante Adams last week to what owner Woody Johnson said was one of the franchise's most talented rosters. Haason Reddick finally ended his lengthy contract holdout and reported to the team on Monday.
But is it all a little too late? Will any of it make a difference?
"Everything’s in front of us,” defensive lineman Solomon Thomas insisted.
Rodgers sounded some alarms with his choice of words after the game, saying he thought the team's energy was “flat” — both before the game and at halftime, when the Jets were leading the Steelers 15-13.
“Me, personally, I didn’t feel that way,” linebacker Quincy Williams said of the team's energy entering the game. “Everyone’s different.”
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who dropped to 0-2 since replacing the fired Robert Saleh, said there's an element of “pressing a little bit to make things happen.” He didn't think the team looked flat at the beginning of the game but could sense a drop in energy at halftime.
“We have all got to take a deep breath," he said, "and just do our job, and collectively.”
Rodgers had a hand in flipping the momentum to Pittsburgh late in the second quarter when he forced a throw to Garrett Wilson that was picked off by Beanie Bishop — the first of two interceptions by the Steelers' rookie cornerback. Russell Wilson marched Pittsburgh down the field and connected with George Pickens for an 11-yard touchdown.
“It did mess with our energy a little bit,” Thomas said, agreeing with Rodgers' assessment of the halftime vibes.
Then, the Steelers kept going. The Jets never scored again.
“When you come out like that, you’re disappointed, you’re frustrated and you want to make changes, you want to make fixes,” Thomas said. “So, we’re hurt, but today, we're optimistic and we’re moving on."
Reddick. Finally. Ulbrich said the edge rusher was at the team's facility and scheduled to take his physical after agreeing Sunday to end his holdout. Ulbrich said it’s still “a little bit too early” to know if Reddick could play at New England.
“He’s fired up,” Ulbrich said. “Ready to get rolling with us. He's got a few things from a physical standpoint that he’s got to get assessed, but then he’s going to be fully integrated into all we do.”
The running game. It's like a broken record this season. New offensive play caller Todd Downing got away from the run early at Pittsburgh and the Jets finished with 54 yards rushing on 15 attempts — including just 38 on 12 carries by Breece Hall.
“We did some really good things last week,” Rodgers said, referring to the Jets running for 121 yards against Buffalo last Monday night. “We just didn't carry over that momentum this week.”
Edge rusher Will McDonald. Last year's first-round draft pick has been one of the few consistent bright spots this season, getting his eighth sack to rank second in the NFL and one behind the Giants' Dexter Lawrence. Reddick's presence should help McDonald even more by giving the Jets another pass rusher off the edge.
Rodgers. He has thrown interceptions in each of his last three games and has seven for the season, just six off his career high set in his first season as Green Bay's starter in 2008. The 40-year-old four-time NFL MVP has been banged up — his left hamstring appeared to be bothering him — and inconsistent. It has left some wondering if Rodgers is one of the main players pressing.
“I just think he’s such an amazing human being and teammate, and he’s feels such a strong obligation to this team in the locker room,” Ulbrich said, “that that can get us all a little bit out of whack at times. Myself included.”
G Xavier Newman suffered a neck injury at Pittsburgh and went to the hospital, but Ulbrich confirmed tests were negative and Newman flew back with the team. It was uncertain if Newman would be sidelined for Sunday's game at New England. ... Ulbrich had no immediate updates on injuries to S Tony Adams (hamstring) and RG Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle). ... Adams' injury added to an already thin secondary that played without CBs D.J. Reed (groin) and Michael Carter II (back).
53 — That's how many of the Jets' 55 snaps on offense Adams played, according to NextGenStats. But he had only three catches for 30 yards on nine targets in his reunion with Rodgers.
The Jets have a chance to end their slump Sunday in New England when they face the AFC East-rival Patriots, who have lost six in a row — including to New York on Sept. 19 — since a season-opening win over Cincinnati.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
New York Jets guard Xavier Newman is carted off the field after being injured in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
New York Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich watches fro the sideline in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) carries against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) in the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) scrambles from New York Jets defensive end Will McDonald IV (99) in the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) tosses the ball as he is brought down by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) in the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
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Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. Find the AP’s top photos of the day in Today’s Photo Collection. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds: SUSAN-SMITH-PAROLE; WHITE-HOUSE-TOURS; LEBANON-HEZBOLLAH’S-FINANCIAL-ARM-EXPLAINER; MEXICO-JUNK-FOOD-BAN; BKL-WNBA-CBA; SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-DIDDY; ELECTION 2024-MCDONALD’S
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ONLY ON AP
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ELECTION 2024-AP POLL-CANDIDATES — Voters remain largely divided over whether they prefer Donald Trump or Kamala Harris to handle key economic issues, although Harris earns slightly better marks on elements such as taxes for the middle class, according to a new poll. The findings in the survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs reaffirm that Trump has lost what had been an advantage on the economy, which many voters say is the most important issue this election season above abortion, immigration, crime and foreign affairs. By Steve Peoples and Linley Sanders. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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MIDEAST WAR — Israel says it planned to carry out more strikes in Lebanon against a Hezbollah-run financial institution that it targeted the night before and which it says uses customers’ deposits to finance attacks against Israel. By Sarah El Deeb and Samy Magdy. SENT: 1,080 words, photos, videos, audio. With MIDEAST WARS-THE LATEST; UNITED-STATES-ISRAEL-DOCUMENTS — White House: Biden “deeply concerned” about release of documents on Israel’s possible attack plans; US-MIDEAST — Blinken heads to the Middle East for the 11th time since the Gaza war, but truce prospects uncertain; ISRAEL-LEBANON-MIDEAST-TENSIONS:-PHOTO-COLLECTION (all sent).
MIDEAST WARS-ISRAEL-THE COST — On top of the grievous toll in human life and misery, Israel’s war against the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups has been expensive. Now the painfully high financial costs are raising concerns about the long-term effect of the fighting on the country’s economy. Military spending has ballooned, and growth has stalled, especially in dangerous border areas that were evacuated. Economists say the country could face declining investment and higher taxes as the war strains government budgets and forces tough choices between social programs and the military. By David McHugh. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. With LEBANON-HEZBOLLAH'S-FINANCIAL-ARM-EXPLAINER — What is the Hezbollah-linked financial institution Israel is targeting in Lebanon? (sent).
ELECTION 2024 — Surveying storm damage in North Carolina, former President Donald Trump has blasted federal emergency responders whose work has been stymied by armed harassment and a deluge of misinformation, but he said he was not concerned that the aftermath of Hurricane Helene would affect election results in the battleground state. By Bill Barrow and Michele L. Price. SENT: 1,280 words, photos, audio. Also SENT: ELECTION-2024-THE-LATEST; ELECTION 2024-HARRIS — Liz Cheney helps Harris seek moderate votes as they paint Trump as a dangerous choice; ELECTION-2024-HARRIS-FUNDRAISING — Harris raises $633 million in the third quarter but spends heavily in final push; ELECTION 2024-MCDONALD'S — McDonald’s agreed to Trump event but says it isn’t endorsing a presidential candidate.
ELECTION 2024-NEVADA-IMMIGRATION — Immigrants, as well as those who work closely with them, say both sides’ efforts to crack down on the border have clouded the larger immigration issue in ways often too nuanced to break down cleanly along ideological lines. They say that both parties’ attempts to gain the upper hand on the issue have often overshadowed immigrants’ contributions to the nation’s economy and menaced the social fabric of communities they have built — with little regard for the people involved who are being subsumed by the politics. By Will Weissert. SENT: 2,520 words, photos. With ELECTION 2024-NEVADA-IMMIGRATION-TAKEAWAYS.
For more AP election coverage plans click here.
CUBA-POWER OUTAGE — Cuba’s capital is largely paralyzed and the rest of the island is braced for the fourth night of a massive blackout that has generated a handful of small protests and a stern government warning that any unrest will be punished. By Andrea Rodriguez and Milexsy Duran. SENT: 740 words, photos, video, audio. With TROPICAL WEATHER — Tropical Storm Oscar dumps heavy rain on eastern Cuba as it heads toward the Bahamas; CUBA-POWER-OUTAGE:-PHOTO-COLLECTION (both sent).
RUSSIA-BRICS SUMMIT — Russian President Vladimir Putin will be shaking hands this week with multiple world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian. They will all be in the Russian city of Kazan on Tuesday for a meeting of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, defying predictions that the war in Ukraine and an international arrest warrant against Putin would turn him into a pariah. By Dasha Litinova. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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CLIMATE-COP16-BIODIVERSITY — Global environmental leaders gathered Monday in Cali, Colombia to assess the world’s plummeting biodiversity levels and commitments by countries to protect plants, animals and critical habitats. The two-week United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP16, is a follow-up to the 2022 Montreal meetings where 196 countries signed a historic global treaty to protect biodiversity. By Steven Grattan. SENT: 780 words, photos, video.
ELECTION 2024-ABORTION MEASURES-NATIVE LANGUAGES — Reproductive rights measures are on the ballots in 10 states after heated debates over how to describe their impact on abortion — and that’s just in English. In 388 places across the U.S. where English isn’t the primary language among communities of voters, the federal Voting Rights Act requires that all elections information be made available in each community’s native language. By Michael Warren, Geoff Mulvihill and Philip Marcelo. SENT: 1,030 words, photos, audio.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — The United States “will get Ukraine what it needs” to fight its war with Russia, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says on an unannounced visit to Kyiv but he gave no hint that Washington might endorse key planks of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s so-called “victory plan.” SENT: 740 words, photos.
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MORE NEWS
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SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-DIDDY — Facing seven more lawsuits, Sean “Diddy” Combs protests a “fresh wave of publicity.” SENT: 430 words, photos.
WHITE-HOUSE-TOURS — The White House public tour has been upgraded so visitors can see, hear and touch more. SENT: 600 words, photos, video.
MEXICO-JUNK-FOOD-BAN — Schools in Mexico have six months to implement a government-sponsored ban on junk food or face heavy fines, officials say, as authorities confront what they call the worst childhood obesity problem in the world. SENT: 400 words, photo.
BKL-WNBA-CBA — WNBA players union decides to opt out of current collective bargaining agreement. SENT: 150 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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HARRIS-BIRTH CONTROL — People with private health insurance would be able to pick up over-the-counter methods like condoms, the “morning after” pill and birth control pills for free under a new rule the White House proposed. SENT: 490 words, photos.
BIDEN-ARTS AND HUMANITIES MEDALS — Filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Ken Burns and singers Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah are among 20 recipients of National Medals of Arts. SENT: 310 words, photo. Will be updated from 5:30 p.m. event.
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NATIONAL
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SUSAN-SMITH-PAROLE — Susan Smith will be up for parole next month, nearly 30 years after she was convicted of rolling her car into a South Carolina lake and drowning her two sons who were strapped in their car seats. SENT: 860 words, photos.
SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD DEATH — Jury selection begins in the trial of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran charged with manslaughter for placing a man in a deadly chokehold on a New York City subway train last year.SENT: 780 words, photos, audio.
TEXAS EXECUTION — A Texas man whose execution was abruptly halted last week after lawmakers ordered Robert Roberson to appear at the state Capitol did not show up as scheduled, following objections to transporting an inmate from death row for the extraordinary purpose of testifying before a public committee. SENT: 820 words, photos, video, audio.
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INTERNATIONAL
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PHILIPPINES-US-MILITARY — The U.S. Army’s recent deployment of a midrange missile system to the northern Philippines was “incredibly important” and allowed American and Filipino forces to jointly train for potential use if needed, a U.S. general says. SENT: 660 words, photos.
BRITAIN-BRAZIL-BHP — Victims of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster took their case for compensation to a UK court, almost nine years after tons of toxic mining waste poured into a major waterway, killing 19 people and devastating local communities. SENT: 690 words, photos, audio.
PHILIPPINES-ABU-SAYYAF — A Philippine court has convicted and sentenced to life 17 Islamic militants for kidnapping 21 people for ransom, including European tourists and Asian workers, from a dive resort in Malaysia more than two decades ago, officials say. SENT: 410 words, photos.
OBIT-FETHULLAH GULEN — Fethullah Gülen, a reclusive U.S.-based Islamic cleric who inspired a global social movement while facing accusations he masterminded a failed 2016 coup in his native Turkey, has died. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BKC-PRESEASON-ALL-AMERICA — Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina’s RJ Davis headline The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team. Sears received all but one vote from a 55-person panel and Davis was right behind him with 51. SENT: 780 words, photos.
NBA-SEASON-PREVIEW — The defending champion Boston Celtics will open the new NBA season at home on Tuesday night against the New York Knicks. According to BetMGM Sportsbook the Celtics are the overwhelming favorite to capture the 2025 championship. The Celtics-Knicks matchup starts an opening night doubleheader, followed by Minnesota at the Los Angeles Lakers. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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Pilgrim Ernesto Troya stretches his friend's leg as they take a break from crawling on their knees to San Felipe Church, behind, to honor the Black Christ in Portobelo, Panama, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, during a festival celebrating the iconic statue that was found on the shore in 1658. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A person votes on the first day of early voting in the general election Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Williams Arena at Mignes Coliseum, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with members of the press on board Air Force Two at Philadelphia International Airport, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Philadelphia, before departing to Michigan. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he boards a plane en route to the Middle East as he departs Joint Base Andrews, Md., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)
First lady Jill Biden gives students a tour of the White House on the day of the unveiling of the new enhanced White House public tour, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Pilgrim Ernesto Troya stretches his friend's leg as they take a break from crawling on their knees to San Felipe Church, behind, to honor the Black Christ in Portobelo, Panama, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, during a festival celebrating the iconic statue that was found on the shore in 1658. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A resident walks his bicycle during a blackout following the failure of a major power plant in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A supporter of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to a campaign rally at Minges Coliseum, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People take cover as a siren warns of incoming rockets during the funeral of Alexei Popov, who was killed during a rocket attack fired from Lebanon last weekend, at the Tel Regev cemetery in the outskirts of Haifa, northern Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
