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Aaron Rodgers and Jets face critical challenge in London vs. 4-0 Vikings

frank schwab
Senior writer

It took one bad game for the New York Jets. Then the chaos started.

This week we heard Aaron Rodgers say, through the media, that maybe head coach Robert Saleh should hold players accountable. Garrett Wilson spoke publicly about the lack of creativity in the Jets' offense, which was a clear shot at offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Everything looked great for the Jets after the first three games. A week later, as the Jets get ready for a London game on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET against the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings, which you can stream live on NFL+, there's a sense that everything is crumbling.

That's how the NFL goes, with what amounts to 17 one-game seasons for each team and the overreaction that follows. But when you're the Jets, and Rodgers is your quarterback, the drama gets cranked up way more.

Last week's performance by the Jets was poor. The offense struggled against the Denver Broncos in a 10-9 loss. New York didn't score a touchdown. Rodgers missed throws when he wasn't getting hit. On a key fourth-and-10 in the final two minutes, Breece Hall completely whiffed on a blocking assignment and Rodgers got crushed. That was a fitting capper to a game for Hall in which he had 4 yards on 10 carries. Wilson got completely taken out of the game by Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, having a quiet day with 41 yards.

And at the end, with a chance to pull out an ugly win, Greg Zuerlein missed wide right on a 50-yard field goal attempt.

It was raining, and the Broncos' defense is playing well, but if the Jets want to be one of the NFL's best teams then losses like that are inexcusable. Looking back on the Jets' season, they have played well once and it was against a Patriots team that might be the worst in the league. And that came at home on a Thursday night. They got dominated by the San Francisco 49ers in the opener, didn't play great against the Tennessee Titans but pulled out a win, then looked awful against the Broncos at home.

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets are coming off an ugly loss to the Broncos. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)
Aaron Rodgers and the Jets are coming off an ugly loss to the Broncos. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

And now the Jets go to another country for a game against the hottest team in the NFL, with a defense that has been the best in the league through four weeks. Surely if the Jets lose again, the response will be calm and measured.

The Vikings have been arguably the NFL's biggest surprise. They're the team the Jets were hoping they would be.

Minnesota is playing well on both sides of the ball. Brian Flores' defense has been outstanding, with its multiple looks confusing some of the NFL's best quarterbacks. Minnesota's defense leads the NFL in EPA (expected points added) through four weeks, via TruMedia. Sam Darnold is playing at an MVP level, albeit in a limited sample size. He leads the NFL with a 118.9 passer rating. The Vikings have the best set of quality wins in the league, with blowouts of the 49ers, Texans and Packers. No team has played better through four weeks of the season.

When the schedule came out, the consensus thought was that the Vikings would be the last-place team in the NFC North. It looked like the Jets would be big favorites in London. Now the Vikings are expected to win. A lot has changed in a month.

The Jets' schedule doesn't get easier either. After London, three of their next four games are vs. Buffalo, at Pittsburgh and vs. Houston. It could get ugly for New York by November. It'll be a long flight home if the Jets don't find a way to beat a Vikings team that has been among the NFL's best — and it could prompt at least one major move.