(East Rutherford) Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was injured on the fourth down for the New York Jets, who still beat the Buffalo Bills 22-16 on Monday night in overtime.
Rookie Xavier Gipson returned a punt in overtime 65 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
It was the third punt return returned for a touchdown in overtime in NFL history. The other two were made by Patrick Peterson (2011), of the Arizona Cardinals, and Tamarick Vanover (1995), of the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I cost our team the victory tonight,” said Josh Allen, who completed 29 of his 41 passes for 236 yards. Allen also had a touchdown pass, to Stefon Diggs.
Rodgers suffered an Achilles tendon injury and had to leave in a cart just 3:45 into the game. He will undergo magnetic resonance imaging tests on Tuesday.
“It doesn’t look good,” admitted head coach Robert Saleh, whose face of discouragement quickly went around the football world.
After being sacked by Leonard Floyd of the Buffalo Bills, Rodgers sat on the field at MetLife Stadium, where he grabbed his leg and ankle before trainers tended to him.
He got up after a few moments, but needed help to get to the New York sideline. Rodgers, 39, was taken to the medical tent, before taking a seat in a cart. Halfway through the ride to the locker room, he got out of the cart and limped into the stadium. He was later seen wearing a protective boot.
The Jets’ aggressive defense forced four turnovers by Buffalo’s Josh Allen, including three interceptions by Jordan Whitehead, in a disjointed season opener. As the Jets ended their night with coach Robert Saleh joining a crowd to celebrate in the end zone, Rodgers’ injury cast a pall over their season.
Before the injury, Rodgers had thrown a handoff to a running back, then he threw two incomplete passes.
X-rays came back negative, but the Jets announced midway through the second quarter that Rodgers was not going to return to the game. He was replaced by Zach Wilson, who finished the game with 14 of 21 completions for 140 yards and a touchdown pass.
The Jets acquired Rodgers in April from the Green Bay Packers, with whom he played 18 seasons. He was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2011, 2014, 2020 and 2021.
Before the game, the Bills announced that Damar Hamlin was listed as an inactive player. The safety must wait before playing his first regular season match since his cardiac arrest.
PHOTO MELISSA TAMEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Damar Hamlin
Hamlin, who had to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati in January, played in three exhibition games this summer. The 25-year-old athlete is one of the Bills’ reserves.
He should play mostly on special teams, barring injuries to starters Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.
Hamlin was replacing an injured Hyde against the Bengals when his heart stopped on January 2. He suffered a commotio cordis – a direct hit to a specific point in a heartbeat, which causes cardiac arrest.
Doctors assured Hamlin that he could return to playing without fear of setback or complications.