Jets' Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) 'targeting' mid-December return

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) said Sunday that he is "targeting a mid-December return" from what was initially believed to be a season-ending injury.

What It Means:

Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury just a handful of snaps into the Jets' season opening game. The injury was initially believed to be season-ending, but the veteran quarterback now claims to be eyeing a "mid-December" return to the field. The Jets have fought to a 4-5 record while fielding some of the worst quarterback play in the league and look like a playoff-caliber team outside of the quarterback position, but Rodgers' return could be too little, too late if the team can't start picking up some additional wins in the meantime; even if Rodgers does somehow beat the expected timetable for his return, it seems unnecessarily risky to have him play in meaningless games.

The Jets' defense ranked seventh-best in numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics heading into Week 10, and while their loss to the Raiders may damage their ranking, it's still one of the stronger units in the league. Their quarterback play has led to the team scoring the third-fewest points in the entire NFL, squashing what could otherwise be a dominant season from a talented, young roster.