Aaron Rodgers can’t escape blame for his fourth quarter interception vs. Bills
The interception Aaron Rodgers threw late in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ Week 6 loss has drawn plenty of attention. This is due in part to comments Rodgers made after the game which seemed to lay all of the blame at the feet of wide receiver Mike Williams.
“It’s two vertical [routes]. Allen [Lazard] is down the seam and Mike is down the red line. I’m looking at Allen, he puts his hand up and three guys go with him. So I’m throwing a no-look to the red line. And when I peek my eyes back there, [Williams] is running an in-breaker. He’s got to be on the red line. It’s the little things every single time.”
Some members of the media took Rodgers’ talking points and ran with them.
Now I’m not trying to call out Connor Hughes here, but I don’t think it’s remotely fair to say this is an automatic touchdown that was destroyed by Williams’ inability to run a route.
Let’s take a look at what actually happened on the play piece by piece.
Now the call is for two verticals. Allen Lazard (yellow) is running deep down the middle of the field from the slot. Williams is indeed running what some might call a red line route.
If you have ever been in an NFL team practice facility, you might notice a red line five or so yards away from the sideline on the practice field. That line is there to help wide receivers know where they are supposed to be on the field. When running a sideline route, receivers don’t want to be pinned against the sideline. If they are, there is no room for them to maneuver. There is also no room for the quarterback to throw the ball in bounds if this happens. The red line helps receivers train. Conversely, cornerbacks are trained using the red line to try and pin receivers to the sideline.
It is clear on this play that Williams drifts inside on his route.
I think it’s very fair to say that Williams ran a poor route on this play. He kind of let the corner funnel him inside without much of a fight. But saying this cost the Jets a touchdown seems like a real stretch to me, and that’s being kind.
