Aaron Rodgers injury update: Jets QB dealing with additional injury ahead of Patriots game

The injuries are beginning to mount for New York Jets (2-5) quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is now dealing with a hamstring injury, according to Connor Hughes of SNY.

Rodgers, 40, has been nursing a high-ankle sprain, and said earlier this month his knee was “swollen.” The Jets travel to play the New England Patriots (1-6) in Week 8 this Sunday in what is essentially a must win for a team which has dropped four games in a row.

Rodgers, over a year removed from suffering a torn Achilles, has yet to look like his old self this season. He has thrown for 1,663 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, the most he has had through seven games since 2010. His 82.2 passer rating is the lowest of his 19-year career.

The Jets have struggled to find the end zone, averaging just 18.3 points per game. Sunday’s 37-15 Week 7 road defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) was the debut for receiver Davante Adams, acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) last week. Adams, whose connection with Rodgers was arguably the best in the NFL during their time together with the Green Bay Packers (5-2), hauled in just three receptions for 30 yards in his Jets debut.

Aaron Rodgers, Jets looking to turn season around in Week 8 vs. Patriots

Rodgers said in his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday that the Jets are “playing with too much anger and not enough enjoyment.” 

“The power of belief is a snowball that can start in an avalanche, and I think that’s what we need,” Rodgers said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. “It starts with me. I’ve got to bring the right energy every single day, and especially on game day.

“I feel like we’ve been loose, we’ve been having good practices, but for whatever reason there’s been a bit of tightness on game day, and I think that’s got to start with me. … I need to be a great leader.”

New York has already fired head coach Robert Saleh, naming Jeff Ulbrich the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. If the Jets are going to claw their way back into the playoff hunt, it has to start this Sunday against a rebuilding Patriots squad.

“We just need to have a little more fun, smile more to enjoy each other,” Rodgers said. “It’s fun when you win, of course. But I think there are ways of taking some of the pressure off, and it’s got to start with me this week with my energy and my approach.”