The final game of the NFL preseason is generally reserved for backups to make one last case as to why they should make the roster.
It’s not often that you see the starters in action, particularly quarterbacks, but that will indeed be the case in the New York Jets preseason finale against the New York Giants this weekend.
Despite not playing a preseason game since 2018, Aaron Rodgers will be the Jets’ starting quarterback. Conventionally, starting quarterbacks have their time drastically limited in the preseason to avoid potential injury.
Jets coach Robert Saleh addressed the decision to start Rodgers on Tuesday, saying, “You can’t play scared, you can slip out of your car and have something happen to you. Kansas City is playing their guys, Buffalo is playing their guys. It’s not uncommon. You can always play the hindsight game, the fearful game, but what’s in the best interest of our team is going out and playing some football together.”
Historically, the Jets haven’t had the best luck playing their starting quarterback in preseason games against the Giants. In 2003, Chad Pennington broke his wrist on his non-throwing hand against the Giants in the Jets’ preseason finale and missed the first six games of the season. In 2013, Mark Sanchez suffered a shoulder injury against the Giants in the preseason and missed the entire season, subsequently ending his Jets career.
