No sport is as cruel as the NFL when it comes to injuries, both in the excruciating pain players suffer and the way an entire season can implode in a moment.
There’s really been as brutal of an instance on both fronts as the Jets planning everything around the arrival of four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers only to lose him — and essentially everything — four plays into their season opener. He tore the Achilles tendon in his left leg on a sack by former Bear Leonard Floyd, now with the Bills, on Monday and is out for the season.
He’ll be 40 in December, and the rehab for a torn Achilles is grueling. There’s a reasonable chance that was the last play of Rodgers’ career.
The Jets went all in on Rodgers, much like the Buccaneers with Tom Brady, the Rams with Matt Stafford and the Broncos with Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning. They gave up a first- and two second-round picks for him and went to work on his shopping list for teammates like Randall Cobb.
Like the pre-Brady Bucs, the Jets were a middling team with a strong defense last season and believed adding a marquee quarterback would vault them into contention.
Most people believed that. The Rodgers drama dominated the NFL offseason.
The Jets were among the top eight favorites odds-wise and opened the season No. 8 in the Sun-Times’ power rankings. One sportsbook changed their championship odds from 16-to-1 (equal to the Cowboys) to 40-to-1 (same as the Packers).
Ranking the Jets eighth going into the season felt skeptical, if anything. If Rodgers started well, they could’ve been in the top five by October, but now they’re 12th and likely falling as former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson steps back in at quarterback. The Jets beat the Bills 22-16 on a punt return for a touchdown in overtime Monday, but they can’t keep that going.
Meanwhile, the Packers looked just fine in their season opener as quarterback Jordan Love carried on their tradition of crushing the Bears. Not only was he statistically strong in the 38-20 win with 245 yards, three touchdowns and a 123.2 passer rating, but Love simply looked smooth in the offense.
Justin Fields and the Bears’ offense looked the opposite. They can keep urging patience because it was “only one game,” as many of them have said this week, but that was alarmingly bad and now they’re a three-point underdog against the fledgling Bucs this week.
It’s a little more believable when proven powerhouses like the Eagles, Chiefs and Bengals ask everyone to give them a little leeway. The Eagles played poorly and still edged the Patriots, while the Chiefs struggled in a 21-20 loss to the Lions and the Bengals opened with a thudding 24-3 loss to the Browns. Those three teams are among the NFL’s best, and rocky openers don’t change that.
Here are the reshuffled power rankings after Week 1:
1. Eagles
Imagine being so loaded like the Eagles that their B-game still gets a win.
2. Chiefs
Travis Kelce and Chris Jones returning this week helps a ton.
3. 49ers
Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy is now 8-1 as their starting quarterback.
4. Bengals
That opener might turn out to be the worst game Joe Burrow ever plays.
5. Ravens
They had five sacks in the opener, including one by ex-Bear Roquan Smith.
6. Bills
Is the Bills’ window closing? They can’t afford a slow start.
7. Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa set a high bar for NFL quarterbacks with 466 yards passing Sunday.
8. Cowboys
It’s always hard to believe in the Cowboys, but stomping the Giants 40-0 spoke loudly.
9. Chargers
They have three very winnable games next against the Titans, Vikings and Raiders.
10. Jaguars
They’ve got a shot against the Chiefs in the NFL’s best game this week.
11. Lions
Beating the Chiefs solidified them as the NFC North’s heavyweight.
12. Jets
Wilson has more career interceptions than touchdowns and has shown no indication he can win.
13. Seahawks
Seattle might be better off tanking than hoping Geno Smith can keep them around .500.
14. Giants
This is the only team that had a more jarring opener than the Bears.
15. Broncos
The Broncos have averaged 18.6 points over their last 67 games.
16. Browns
Their defense looked great, and if Deshaun Watson gets going, they’ll be a playoff team.
17. Packers
They’ll climb if Love stays as good as he looked against the Bears.
18. Steelers
If Kenny Pickett can’t play, their next option is Mitch Trubisky.
19. Patriots
They face a huge test when they host the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football.
20. Rams
The Rams thumping the Seahawks was one of the biggest Week 1 surprises.
21. Vikings
Whether they realize it or not, the Vikings are in decline.
22. Saints
The Saints aren’t good, but they don’t have to be to win the NFC South.
23. Commanders
They haven’t had more than 10 wins in a season since their 1991 championship.
24. Bears
With a visit to the Chiefs in Week 3, they can’t lose to the Bucs.
25. Raiders
This season is Jimmy Garoppolo’s last chance to prove he’s an NFL starter.
26. Titans
Ryan Tannehill is on his way to getting benched after three picks in the opener.
27. Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield’s last four passer ratings: 94.4, 51.3, 79.3, 124.7. Buckle up.
28. Falcons
After beating the Panthers, they opened as just a 1.5-point underdog at the Packers.
29. Panthers
Every Panthers loss helps the Bears, who get their first-round draft pick.
30. Texans
They were one of four teams to score fewer than 10 points in Week 1.
31. Colts
Anthony Richardson showed promise in his debut, but this is a full rebuild.
32. Cardinals
It’s hard to forecast when this team might get its first win — if at all.
