Seahawks likely facing an Aaron Rodgers hot mess in Week 13 versus the Jets

Week 13 seems too easy for the Seattle Seahawks. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets were expected by many to compete for a Super Bowl this year, but just like every year seemingly goes for the Jets, they have failed. The team still has Rodgers but has fired their head coach and general manager since the beginning of the season, and appears to be floating in the water waiting for 2025. That makes Sunday scary.

Rodgers, a sure-fire Pro Football Hall of Famer, has not passed for at least 300 yards in a game since 2021. He would appear unlikely to do that against an improving Seattle defense in Week 13. This is where the difference in recent Pete Carroll-led Seattle teams might differ in relation to new head coach Mike Macdonald. Under Carroll, Seattle's defense might sadly underperform against a struggling opponent.

Macdonald is still trying to make his bones as a head coach in the NFL. Plus, his defense over the last three weeks has been terrific. The unit is reacting quickly to what the opponent is trying to do and the defense is playing more freely. The Jets have some raw talent on offense, but that has not been used wisely so far in 2024. A Super Bowl hope is gone, and the Jets are playing for next offseason at 3-8.

New York is 27th in points scored and 25th in yards per play. In Week 10, the Jets lost 31-6 to an Arizona Cardinals team that the Seahawks just defeated 16-6. That would imply Seattle should win. But because we have not yet seen Macdonald consistently beat teams that are down on their luck while we watched Carroll struggle against those kinds of teams, 12s are right to be nervous.

New York has won just one game since firing head coach Robert Saleh. Nothing has changed with New York overall. Their defense is still fine, though not as good as some thought they would be, and the offense is a mess. Aaron Rodgers bears a lot of the blame for that. To be fair, Rodgers, a soon-to-be 41-year-old quarterback who plays as if he is 50, has been awful, though he will never admit to that.

Week 13 should be a week when the Seahawks firmly establish that a first-year head coach finally has control over his defense. Rodgers has said he only hopes to play next year but isn't sure if that will be in New York. He should retire. But this could be the Seahawks' battle of Little Bighorn, and the Jets spring a surprise victory at home. Or Macdonald's defense might prove to the rest of the league they are a force to be reckoned with. Let's hope for the latter.