As one team looks to see development in their young athletes especially their franchise quarterback, the other is playing for pride. The New York Jets in this case are a team that is looking to develop their younger athletes like their franchise quarterback Sam Darnold, while the Green Bay Packers who entered the season as a Super Bowl contender are going to be limping into New York with a 5-8-1 record. They will be playing to win and not try to secure a better draft position, if they were then the Packers wouldn't be playing Aaron Rodgers who has been battling a knee injury all season long.
Injuries have been a major issue for both of these teams, the Packers have lost running back Aaron Jones for the season as well as veteran receiver Randall Cobb who is in concussion protocol. Those two bring the Packers injury list up to 14 (eight of them are starters), while the Jets are going to be without Branden Shell, Isaiah Crowell, Quincy Enunwa, and Rishard Matthews.
Nonetheless, this is another great test for Sam Darnold as he is going to be going up against two future hall of famers, this week will be Rodgers and then close out the season against Tom Brady. In fact, he is coming off two great performances as he has completed 40 of 62 passes for 423 yards and three touchdowns. If he could perform at that same level against those two quarterbacks, it would not only be spectacular to witness but as a Jets fan it would bring optimism and excitement for what is to come in the future.
There is no question that Darnold has looked more comfortable now than earlier in the season, he is just trying to play football rather than trying to be perfect. After missing three weeks with a foot injury, he returned and had a comeback win against the Buffalo Bills as well as nearly doing it again against the Houston Texans. If that wasn't enough, it seems as though him and Roby Anderson are starting to build chemistry together.
Although the Packers have won the passed two meetings against the Jets in 2010 and 2014, the Jets are 8-4 against Green Bay. The last time the Jets won against Green Bay at home was in 2002 when Chad Pennington threw four touchdowns to not only clinch a playoff spot but also their last AFC east division title.