The Packers have a long but not especially rich history of meetings with the New York Jets. The two teams have played 14 times in their shared history, but the Packers have won just five of those matchups.
Still, the Packers have put together some pretty impressive performances in that limited and uninspiring history. Here are some of the best.
Most passing yards – 442 (Aaron Rodgers)
In a wild game three weeks after Mike McCarthy got fired in 2018, Rodgers led a massive fourth quarter comeback with
his arms and his legs. 442 yards is actually the second-best single-game total of his long career, and a lot of it came in an 18-point fourth quarter surge as the Packers rallied to tie the Jets, then win in overtime. We’ll have more from this game a bit later.
Rodgers also threw three touchdown passes in a 2014 win over the Jets, which we’ll discuss in more detail throughout this piece.
Most rushing yards – 102 (Ahman Green)
Eric Mangini came into Lambeau Field in 2006 and absolutely nuked the Packers, handing Green Bay a 38-10 beatdown on their home turf.
There was very little to get excited about in the game overall, but Ahman Green managed to grind out 102 yards on 14 carries in the losing effort.
Most receiving yards – 209 (Jordy Nelson)
The same 2014 game that featured three touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers also showcased a career effort from Jordy Nelson, who caught nine passes for 209 yards, a career best. Nelson was so good that day he already had 129 yards before hauling in an 80-yard score to give the Packers the win.
Points – 14 (Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb)
Points scored is definitely a more old-school metric, much more common in the days when a kicker wasn’t typically a team’s leading scorer year-in and year-out. But we’ve got a rare instance where the scoring is interesting — especially since it happened twice!
In 2018 and 2014, respectively, Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb scored 14 points apiece in wins over the Jets, both scoring two touchdowns and adding a two-point conversion. But even more interesting: both Rodgers and Cobb recorded an octopus in their 14-point efforts! An octopus (a term first popularized by Mitch Goldich of Sports Illustrated) occurs when a player scores a touchdown then converts the two-point conversion. Cobb scored his after a one-yard touchdown pass, while Rodgers’ octopus was perhaps the craziest of the 13 the Packers have recorded in their history. Rodgers ran in the two-pointer himself after throwing a rare pick-two on the preceding play, which was called back due to a penalty.
Sacks – 2 (Ezra Johnson, Brian Noble)
There haven’t been many noteworthy sack performances by the Packers against the Jets, but both Ezra Johnson and Brian Noble have taken down a New York quarterback twice in a game. Johnson did it in 1982, the first year sacks were an official stat, while Noble did it in 1991. Both performances took place in losses.
Tackles – 13 (Nate Wayne)
Tackles are a bit of a fungible metric, but among the stats we have, Nate Wayne stands tall. He recorded 13 tackles against the Jets in a 2000 loss. I know the Packers and Jets haven’t played a lot, but a 20-16 game with fewer than 60,000 in attendance at Lambeau Field has to rank among the most forgettable matchups, no matter what heroics Wayne may have pulled off.
Interceptions – 1 (nine players tied)
Nine players have recorded an interception against the New York Jets, but only Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson have done it multiple times, albeit across multiple games.
However, on Halloween in 2010, Williams and Woodson worked together to help shut out the Jets. Their interceptions were key parts of a 9-0 win as the Packers began to build momentum in what would become a Super Bowl season.
