When the New York Jets take the field on Thursday night, it will be exactly six weeks since they won a football game.
In other words, the Aaron Rodgers era hasn’t been loaded with success.
Rodgers and the Jets will try to snap a five-game losing streak when they battle the charging Houston Texans at East Rutherford, N.J.
New York (2-6) is averaging just 16.6 points during its slide, which has seen it score 17 points or fewer three times. The Jets’ season high for points is 24, accomplished in each of their victories.
New York has often settled for field-goal attempts — Greg Zuerlein is 9-for-15 — or failed to make a key play on the offensive end. The Jets are ranked 25th in scoring offense (18.8 points per game) and 24th in total offense (310.6 yards per game), with Rodgers throwing 12 touchdown passes against seven interceptions.
The misery might have reached a zenith on Sunday when the host New England Patriots drove 70 yards in 12 plays to score the winning points with 22 seconds left in their 25-22 victory.
“We’ve got to score touchdowns,” Rodgers told reporters. “Can’t leave it up to Greg or try and pin it on Greg. We had a lot of opportunities to score 30, to make it a two-score game at times and didn’t do it.”
The Jets fired Robert Saleh as coach after their record dropped to 2-3. They are 0-3 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who doubles as defensive coordinator.
“We’ve just got to be better collectively,” Ulbrich said. “Every single human being out there has got to be better. Aaron has got to be better. Coaches got to be better. All of us got to be better.”
Houston (6-2) is certainly better but received bad news on Tuesday, when it was determined that wideout Stefon Diggs tore the ACL in his right knee during a 23-20 home victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
The Texans acquired Diggs from the Buffalo Bills this past offseason to pump up their receiving corps.
“It’s tough news to hear, especially with how much (Diggs) pours into it,” Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said. “That’s (a) guy that gave his all to everything we asked him to do. He’s hurting, of course, and we’re hurting for him.”
Diggs, who was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, has a team-best 47 catches to go with 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. Nico Collins, who has a team-leading 567 receiving yards in just five games, remains on IR with a hamstring injury.
Still, Houston is in a good position as it hits Week 9 with four victories in its past five games.
“A goal we had was to start fast, and I believe that we’ve been putting on some good ball, but we have a lot to still clean up,” said Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has thrown 11 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. “It’s just exciting times. It’s coming into the two hardest months of ball (in) November and December.
“We get to end October on a prime-time game, and it’s going to be a great matchup against the Jets, and we’ve got to be able to be ready and try to finish October the right way.”
Texans running back Joe Mixon has been a force with three straight 100-yard rushing performances. He has carried the ball 25 times in each of the past two games.
Houston running back Dameon Pierce (groin) was ruled out of the contest on Wednesday. Offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson (concussion), linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and safety Jimmie Ward (groin) will also miss the game.
New York will be without five-time Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley (neck) for the second straight game. Other Jets who were ruled out were receiver Allen Lazard (chest), guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle), defensive lineman Leki Fotu (knee) and safeties Tony Adams (hamstring) and Ashtyn Davis (concussion).
Also, the Jets placed Zuerlein on injured reserve and signed fellow kickers Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader to the practice squad. Either Patterson or Shrader will be elevated to the active roster to handle the kicking duties.
