Aaron Rodgers’ return from injury ended in defeat as the New York Jets fell 32-19 to the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in California.
Rodgers was back on the field nearly a year after tearing his Achilles during his debut with the Jets, which had sidelined him for the entire previous season.
The 40-year-old quarterback, who won four NFL MVP awards during his time with the Green Bay Packers, threw for 167 yards, with one touchdown and an interception on Monday night. However, this performance was insufficient to overcome last year’s Super Bowl runners-up.
“It felt great,” said Rodgers. “I have a lot of gratitude just for being back in pads. So many people helped me get to this point.”
“I’m really thankful for my surgeon, my loved ones, my friends, the staff, and the training team who helped me return. I wanted to take a shot and experience the physicality of it.”
“Once I threw a couple of passes and took a hit, it felt good.”
The home team managed to secure the win despite the absence of running back Christian McCaffrey, who was ruled out shortly before kickoff due to a calf and Achilles injury.
