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Jets defense makes life miserable for Aaron Rodgers in another alarming loss for Packers

Quinnen Williams lived in the Packers backfield.

Sauce Gardner made life miserable in the secondary.

It added up to another rough day for Aaron Rodgers as the New York Jets stifled Green Bay in a 27-10 win at Lambeau Field. The loss was the second straight for the Packers after a 3-1 start and enough to sound alarm bells over a stagnant Green Bay offense. The Jets, meanwhile, improved to 4-2 thanks to a swarming young defense that's coalescing into an NFL force.

Quinnen Williams kept constant pressure on Aaron Rodgers on Sunday as the Jets beat the Packers. (Jeff Hanisch/Reuters)
Quinnen Williams kept constant pressure on Aaron Rodgers on Sunday as the Jets beat the Packers. (Jeff Hanisch/Reuters)

Green Bay struggled from the start on Sunday and found itself on the verge of entering halftime without points. A missed field goal by Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein with 36 seconds left before halftime set the Packers up with a short field and allowed them to enter halftime tied at 3-3.

But there wasn't much life for the Packers in the second half as Rodgers struggled to find time or room to operate Green Bay's passing game. Meanwhile, the Jets took a 10-3 lead with a touchdown on their second possession of the third quarter. When Micheal Clemons blocked a Packers punt on the ensuing Green Bay possession, the game was all but over. Will Park scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown to extend New York's lead to 17-3.

The Packers would eventually find the end zone on a Rodgers pass to Allen Lazard. But that was the end of Green Bay' scoring output as the Jets defense dominated the rest of the way.

Jets defense wreaks havoc

Williams starred in the trenches as the Jets applied regular pressure on Rodgers, who was already dealing with an injured thumb on his throwing hand. Williams sacked Rodgers twice and hit him three more times. He also tallied two tackles for loss and made his presence known on special teams.

Green Bay tried to break the scoreless tie early in the second quarter with a 47-yard field goal attempt by Mason Crosby. But Williams got pressure up the middle to record the first of two blocked kicks by Jets special teams.

When Rodgers did find time to pass, he repeatedly found Gardner stifling his plans in the secondary. Gardner regularly blanketed Rodgers' receiving options and forced him to look elsewhere. When Rodgers did test Gardner, the rookie cornerback was up to the task with two pass break-ups, including a deep third-down effort to Lazard as Green Bay looked to mount a late comeback.

After the game, Gardner celebrated with a cheesehead. This did not set well at Lambeau Field.

Can Packers find fix for offensive woes?

Rodgers finished the day completing 26-of-41 passes for 246 yards with a touchdown. He took four sacks and nine quarterback hits and lost a fumble.

He entered Sunday averaging a career-low 231.4 passing yards per game for an offense that ranked 22nd in the NFL with 19.4 points per game. Sunday's effort did little to soothe concerns around a 39-year-old quarterback playing without the benefit of departed All-Pro receiver Davante Adams. The Packers generated just 278 yards of offense en route to the 10-point showing at home.

The Jets, meanwhile, made a dominant showing without needing much from Zach Wilson. The second-year quarterback completed 10-of-18 passes for 110 yards without a score. He didn't turn the ball over, and that's all New York needed from him as running back Breece Hall paced the offense with 116 yards and a touchdown. The Jets defense did the rest.