This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
What’s up, Winners. Thanks for reading the Morning Win today. We appreciate you for sharing a bit of your time with us here.
I have one request of you today: If you see a Jets fan, hug a Jets fan.
Now, look. I know, I know. For some of you out there, this is a bit too much to ask. You’re probably like “Ew, absolutely not.” I get it. That’s how I feel about Cowboys fans, too (Whoops! Sorry. Let that one slip).
But, look, man. After what they went through on Monday night they deserve, at least, a little bit of sympathy, right?
I mean, sheesh. Four snaps into the game and Aaron Rodgers gets injured. That is wild, y’all. The Jets had been built up as one of the best teams all summer since trading for this dude and rightfully so. The roster is stacked. It just needed a good quarterback and it finally got one.
And, just like that, the dream could be over already.
We don’t know the extent of Rodgers’ injury quite yet and, obviously, we don’t want to speculate here. So we don’t need to say anything until things are official. But, man, it did not look good.
In the macro, this completely changes the shape of the NFL this season if this injury is bad. The Jets could be without their starting quarterback for a while and he happens to be one of the best to ever do it. That, alone, is a loss for football fans out there. I hope we still get to see the complete version of this team at some point.
RELATED: Five replacement quarterbacks for Aaron Rodgers if he’s out for weeks
But in the micro, Jets’ fans have to be devastated. Rodgers is probably the best quarterback to ever put on that uniform, with all due respect to Joe Namath and Brett Favre. There are levels, though.
This was their chance to break away from the stink. They weren’t just going to be the “other” New York team anymore. They were going to actually be the star of the show for once. No more talk about the Butt Fumble. That time Bill Belichick was head coach for a day was just going to be funny history. This was going to erase all of that.
Now, it could all disappear in just an instant. That’s devastating.
There was still a moment of light from the game — the Jets actually found a way to win. Josh Allen turned the ball over four times (!!!! More on that later) and Xavier Gipson’s punt return saved the day.
That aside, though, I imagine most Jets fans are still feeling the way Mike Greenberg is today. How does one process this? Yes, the Jets won. But what did it cost? It feels like everything.
This just feels unfair. I’m sorry, Jets fans. I hope this ends well for you.
Do we need to start a dialogue?
Alright, so, uh, Josh Allen, folks.
I know this dude is one of the best quarterbacks in the game. When he’s at his peak, whew boy, is it fun to watch. We saw that on full display in that playoff game against the Chiefs a couple years ago. That dude can be incredible when he’s on.
But when he’s not? It still can be an absolute train wreck. That’s the Josh Allen we saw against the Jets on Monday night. He had four turnovers including a near Butt Fumble sequel. That’s why the Bills lost.
Here’s a stat: After Allen’s four turnover game on Monday night he now has 84 turnovers since 2018. That’s the most in the league, according to ESPN stats and info.
Look, it’s not news that Josh Allen is a turnover machine. He’s always been that since he’s come into the league. But this isn’t early Josh Allen. The expectations are different. The Bills are all in and the expectation is a Super Bowl.
The question is can you actually win playing this way. Can someone who turns the ball over this much get over the hump? The Bills certainly hope so. The rest of us are, rightfully, growing skeptical.
This season is going to tell us a whole lot more.
Photo of the day: Garrett Wilson has HANDS
Personally, I won’t say Garrett Wilson’s catch in the game on Monday was the catch of the year simply because it’s too early for all that. But, man. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Just look at the concentration he had in catching this one.
That’s incredible, man. What a catch. What a play. The best part is Zach Wilson pulled a “Garrett is out there somewhere” for this one and it actually worked.
“On Garrett Wilson’s touchdown we had a run play called, & I just looked out there & saw Garrett & I threw it up for him to make a play. It wasn’t a good throw, & he was being boxed out, but GW has unbelievable ball skills. He always finds a way to come down with it. He’s… pic.twitter.com/WMQ5JyAviu
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) September 12, 2023
“We had a run play called and I just looked out there and saw Garrett and I threw it up for him to make a play. It wasn’t a good throw and he was being boxed out, but GW has unbelievable ball skills. He always finds a way to come down with it.”
HE SURE DID. What a play, Garrett Wilson. Sheesh.
Quick hits: The ManningCast’s best moments … Fantasy football panic over Aaron Rodgers … and more
— Charles Curtis has the best moments from the ManningCast of MNF and, trust me, there were plenty of them.
— Folks who drafted Aaron Rodgers in their fantasy football leagues are devastated today. Prince Grimes has more.
— Welcome our new staffer Meghan Hall! She got us covered with Robert Saleh’s incredible reaction to the game-winning punt return.
— Speaking of that punt return, turns out the officials missed a pretty blatant penalty that would’ve changed the game here.
That’s all, folks! Happy Tuesday.