New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw an interception on what could have been a game-tying or game-winning drive against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, but he says his teammate was to blame for it.
The Jets had 3rd-and-16 at their own 40 just before the two-minute warning in their 23-20 loss to the Bills at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Rodgers tried to connect with Mike Williams on a deep pass, but the ball was underthrown and intercepted. That effectively ended the game.
Aaron Rodgers may never throw another pass to Mike Williams again pic.twitter.com/wRkuKmid0W
— Jake Eckberg (@JakeEckbergNFL) October 15, 2024
When asked about the play in his postgame press conference, Rodgers pulled no punches. He said Williams ran the wrong route.
“Well, there’s two verticals — Allen (Lazard) is down the seam, Mike’s down the redline,” Rodgers said. “I look up at Allen, he puts his hand up, three guys go with him, so I’m throwing a no-look to the redline. And when I just peak my eyes back there, (Williams is) running an in-breaker. So, it’s gotta be down the redline. I was throwing it to the redline, but when I got (my arm up to throw) I realized he was running an in-breaker, so I kind of adjusted a little bit.”
.@Connor_J_Hughes asked #Jets QB Aaron Rodgers about the interception he threw on the pass to Mike Williams.
He seemed to get pretty frustrated because Williams ran the wrong route.
@nyjets #JetUp https://t.co/Dt2byyz3HE pic.twitter.com/KJYTBThj5y
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) October 15, 2024
In other words, Rodgers was saying even the underthrow was Williams’ fault, as Rodgers did not get enough under the pass because he had to compensate at the last second for Williams running the wrong route.
James Jones, who played with Rodgers in Green Bay and is still close friends with the quarterback, said both Rodgers and Williams were to blame for the pick. The FOX Sports 1 analyst explained what Rodgers meant by “redline” and said Williams should have broken toward the sideline on the route.
James Jones, Aaron Rodgers former teammate, finally got to work so I had to ask:
Who was at fault for the interception, Rodgers or Mike Williams? @TheFacilityFS1 10am EST. Tune in, we’re breaking this play all the way down! pic.twitter.com/PuK3va6k9b
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) October 15, 2024
If you watch the video of the interception, Williams did not turn to his back shoulder until the ball was in the air. The pass was underthrown, but Rodgers implied it would not have been had Williams run the correct route in the first place.
Whatever the case, Williams’ might not see many balls from Rodgers the rest of the season. The Jets made a blockbuster trade on Tuesday to acquire a star wide receiver, so Williams will probably get limited playing time going forward.
