Rodgers Throws Four Touchdowns as Jets Beat Dolphins 32-20 and Knock Miami Out of Playoff Race
Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, including the 500th of his career, as New York closed a 5-12 season with a win in what may have been his last game with the club.
By Jacob Leary · · Originally reported by New York Daily News
The Jets ended a disappointing 2024 season on a high note, beating the Miami Dolphins 32-20 on a cold, windy night at MetLife Stadium. The result left New York at 5-12 and Miami at 8-9, and it came in Jeff Ulbrich's last game as interim coach.
Miami needed a victory to keep faint postseason hopes alive. Its chances were officially ended when the Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-0 and secured the seventh and final AFC playoff berth.
Aaron Rodgers finished 23 of 36 for 274 yards, an interception and a season-high four touchdowns. He became the first Jet since Joe Flacco in 2022, against the Browns, to throw four touchdown passes in a game. The performance may have been his last in a Jets uniform.
The night started badly for New York. Rodgers' first pass was intercepted when the ball bounced off Davante Adams' hands and into the grasp of linebacker Tyrel Dodson at the Jets' 15-yard line. A trick play fell incomplete, and Breece Hall dropped a third-and-11 pass that would have produced a first down. Miami took a 6-0 lead on field goals of 26 and 28 yards by Jason Sanders.
Midway through the second quarter, Rodgers hit Tyler Conklin from five yards out for the 500th touchdown pass of his career. At 41, he is the fifth player in NFL history to reach the mark, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. It was also his 25th touchdown pass of the season. "It was a really cool moment to be part of," Conklin said. Rodgers then found Allen Lazard for No. 501, and Hall's successful two-point conversion made it 15-6. Greg Joseph added a 20-yard field goal in the third quarter for an 18-6 lead.
Miami cut the deficit with De'Von Achane's 15-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. The Jets answered with a 4-yard scoring pass from Rodgers to Adams, set up by a 43-yard completion to Lazard. Tyler Huntley, starting in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa, led a 12-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown catch by Jonnu Smith to make it 25-20. Rodgers sealed the win with a touchdown pass to Hall with 2:30 left.
The defense forced four turnovers, a notable total for a team that had just 13 takeaways all season entering the game. Safety Ashtyn Davis intercepted two passes, one of which kept Miami from a late first-half touchdown, and the Jets recovered a fumble in each half. Huntley went 25 of 41 for 227 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Adams had six catches for 88 yards and a score, reaching 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth straight season. Garrett Wilson, with four catches for 51 yards, became the second Jet with 100 catches in a season, after Brandon Marshall in 2015. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams left with a hamstring injury, and tackle Carter Warren exited with an ankle injury.
Rodgers' future is now the main question. The Jets will have a new coach and general manager after owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas during the season. Rodgers said last week he would take time after the season to decide between returning in 2025 and retiring, as he did two years ago before electing to keep playing and being traded to the Jets. He joked that he would not attend any darkness retreats this offseason. He has no guaranteed money left on his contract, and releasing him would carry a $49 million salary cap hit for 2025.
"Just a lot of gratitude," Rodgers said afterward. "I just need some time away to think about my future in the game, and my future here if they want me to be a part of the next phase. Either way I'm thankful for my two years here." He walked off the field with Adams, possibly for the last time as teammates. Ulbrich called his stint "very challenging, but also very rewarding."
