Aaron Rodgers’ debut isn’t Jets’ first must-see MetLife game

I try not to be a prisoner of the moment but it is hard not to feel like Monday’s season-opener against the Bills is the biggest Jets game since they moved into MetLife Stadium in 2010.

The anticipation for this game is through the roof. Aaron Rodgers making his regular season Jets debut would be enough to have Jets fans fired up for this game. Throw in that the game is against the three-time defending division champion Bills and it is being played solo in the “Monday Night Football” window, and this game is easily the most anticipated game I can remember.

Will it live up to the hype? We’ll see.

But it made me think about the other Jets games at MetLife that have had a lot of anticipation leading into them. There have not been many because the Jets have mostly been bad since moving into their new stadium.

Here is my list of top five anticipated games in the MetLife portion of Jets history:

1. Sept. 11, 2011 vs. Cowboys

This was such a huge game.

It was the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and emotions were super high for this “Sunday Night Football” game. The Jets were coming off back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances and were viewed as a potential Super Bowl team. The Cowboys were the Cowboys — America’s Team. There were so many storylines in this one, including Jets coach Rex Ryan facing off with his twin brother Rob, the Cowboys defensive coordinator.

The game lived up to its billing. This may have been Darrelle Revis’ most memorable game as a Jet. The coaches moved Revis on to Cowboys star Dez Bryant after Bryant had early success. Revis bottled Bryant up and then intercepted a pass intended for Bryant with 59 seconds left in the game and the scored tied 24-24. The interception set up a game-winning field goal by Nick Folk.

2. Sept. 16, 2018 vs. Dolphins

Sam Darnold had made his Jets debut the week before with a two-touchdown performance against the Lions in Detroit on “Monday Night Football.” People were ready to pronounce Darnold the franchise savior after that game and the hype for the home opener grew all week.

It was a letdown for Jets fans. The Dolphins dominated, taking a 20-0 lead on their way to a 20-12 win. Darnold did throw for 334 yards, but was intercepted twice by Miami.

3. Dec. 27, 2015 vs. Patriots

December games have typically not been that anticipated for the Jets in recent years. But this was a big one. The Jets had won four straight games to improve to 9-5 and give themselves a shot at the playoffs. Fitzmagic was rolling and the Jets looked ready to make noise in the postseason.

First, though, they had to deal with Tom Brady and the Patriots two days after Christmas.

Brandon Marshall caught two touchdown passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick in the first half to take a 17-3 lead, but Jets fans had seen Brady rally against their team so many times before that everyone knew a comeback was inevitable.

New England tied the game at 20-20 with 1:55 left on a Brady to James White touchdown. The game went into overtime, where the Patriots won the coin toss but elected to kick off in an odd decision from Bill Belichick. Fitzpatrick hit Quincy Enunwa for a 48-yard gain and then found Eric Decker for the game-winning touchdown in one of the loudest moments at MetLife.

The 26-20 win moved the Jets to 10-5 and kept the Jets’ playoff hopes alive for one more week. We won’t talk about what happened after that.

4. Sept. 9, 2012 vs. Bills

It’s hard to remember now because we all know how it played out, but the Tim Tebow arrival was met with almost as much anticipation as Rodgers’ arrival. This was Tebow’s first game and it was supposed to be the unveiling of the Tebow Package in the Jets offense. He ended up with just five rushes for 11 yards in the game, a long of four. It was a precursor for how little Tebow would be used that year.

The big story that day was rookie Stephen Hill, who caught two touchdown passes. It seemed like the Jets had landed a gem in the second round. Hill would go on to catch just two more touchdowns in his career.

After going scoreless in the preseason, the Jets starting offense led a stunning 48-28 victory in this opener.

5. Oct. 30, 2022 vs. Patriots

Just last year there was a lot of anticipation for the annual home game against the Patriots. The Jets were 5-2 after winning four straight games and looked ready to snap a losing streak to New England that dates back to 2016.

The Jets had a 10-3 lead early, but Zach Wilson crumbled. Wilson threw three killer interceptions and the Jets had a pick-six off Mac Jones called back due to a roughing the passer penalty. The Patriots won 22-17 and Wilson’s grip on the starting quarterback job loosened. He would make two more starts before getting benched for Mike White.

Want to catch a game? The Jets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.

Mark Sanchez knows a good thing when he sees it

I recently spoke with several former Jets quarterbacks for a story in our preview section on what Aaron Rodgers can expect playing for the Jets.

One of the quarterbacks I spoke to was Mark Sanchez. He had an interesting perspective because he has known Rodgers for years. They share an agent — David Dunn — and both live in Southern California.

Sanchez said he has enjoyed seeing Rodgers on “Hard Knocks” and it is good for people to see what Rodgers is actually like and not how he has been portrayed through the years. Sanchez recently visited Jets camp and said he noticed just how happy Rodgers seems.

“I think if anybody is ready to do it and has the energy, just the drive, you can tell when you talk to him, you can hear it in his voice, you can see it,” Sanchez said. “He’s got a hop in his step. He looks, feels, sounds good. That’s a dangerous dude with the ball in his hands, especially when he’s locked in like that. Even on his worst day, he can still kick your ass. Catch him on his best day, good God, that’s a problem.”

Stat’s so

The Jets have lost their last four openers and six of their last seven. Opening Day has not been kind to the Jets in recent years. Here is a look at their last 10 openers:

Sept. 11, 2022 (vs. Ravens): L, 24-9
Sept. 12, 2021 (at Panthers): L, 19-14
Sept. 13, 2020 (at Bills): L, 27-17
Sept. 8, 2019 (vs. Bills): L, 17-16
Sept. 10, 2018 (at Lions): W, 48-17
Sept. 10, 2017 (at Bills): L, 21-12
Sept. 11, 2016 (vs. Bengals): L, 23-22
Sept. 13, 2015 (vs. Browns): W, 31-10
Sept. 7, 2014 (vs. Raiders): W, 19-14
Sept. 8, 2013 (vs. Buccaneers): W, 18-17