Not even Aaron Rodgers can support Nathaniel Hackett.
Rodgers seemed to disagree with the embattled offensive coordinator after yet another play call backfired in the Jets’ 16-12 loss to the Raiders on “Sunday Night Football.”
The Jets held a 9-3 lead and faced a third-and-1 at their own 38-yard line in the second quarter when Hackett dialed up a run.
Rodgers, standing on the sideline with a headset on, shook his head right before the play, seemingly indicating he disagreed with Hackett’s call, as shown on NBC.
Breece Hall received a handoff out of a shotgun formation, but the Raiders swarmed the running back in the backfield to prevent him from gaining the necessary yard.
Dalvin Cook also failed to gain the lone yard on the previous play, making it all the worse for Hackett.
The Jets then opted to punt, ending their streak of three straight drives with a field goal.
While that play call did not lead to the Jets’ loss, the visual of Rodgers disagreeing with his essentially hand-picked offensive coordinator is a bad look for Hackett.
Hackett’s offense has come under fire as the Jets have dropped two straight games while scoring 18 total points, and just 31 points across their last three games.
If not for a Giants-fueled implosion in Week 8, the Jets would be on a three-game losing streak that falls squarely on their inept offense.
Without the 39-year-old Rodgers, Hackett has guided an unimaginative offense that seems incapable of exploiting mismatches and complementing the Jets’ strong defense.
Some of that may have to do with the uninspiring — at best — play from Zach Wilson, but Hackett is not putting the Jets in position to succeed.
The Jets rank 29th in yards per game (283.1) and 30th in points (16.0), ahead of only a pair of 2-8 teams in the Giants and Patriots in the latter category.
Perhaps Hackett will have a chance to show if his offense can function with Rodgers at the helm, but that mid-December return from what was once believed to be a season-ending Achilles injury, may not matter much after the Jets’ offense wasted chances to grab wins against the mediocre Chargers and Raiders.
Hackett, Wilson and the Jets’ lifeless offense will aim to get on track Sunday in Buffalo.