In week nine of the NFL, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a disastrous first half against the Houston Texans. He later explained himself.

It was a truly creepy performance that Aaron Rodgers put in during the first half of the Thursday Night Game of the ninth NFL matchday. The four-time MVP completed seven of 14 passes for a measly 32 yards, with the New York Jets scoring no points.

Never in his career had Rodgers thrown fewer yards in a half in which he made at least ten pass attempts. It was a disastrous performance that the 40-year-old did not try to gloss over after the game.

“I was terrible,” he admitted to US reporters. ‘I played as badly as I possibly could in the first half and I knew I had to do better from there on out,’ the playmaker continued.

In the second half, the picture was completely different, as Rodgers led the franchise to a 21-13 victory with three passing touchdowns.

“In the second half, the season was at stake. Of course, we wouldn’t have been eliminated yet mathematically. But mentally, it would have been very, very hard to be 2-7,” explained the signal caller.

“Hopefully this gives us the confidence to go out and beat anybody because we believe we can. The way we played on offense in the second half is the way we’ve been waiting for this offense to wake up,” he said.

And further: “That was close to perfection, as I have to be. That’s the standard I have to play to. There were a lot of really incredible performances.”

But how did they manage to turn it around after the disappointing first two quarters? According to Rodgers, it was a result of good team spirit. “The mood at halftime was good. Morgan Moses gave a little speech, which was good. We all stayed positive. Nobody was isolated at halftime,” said the coach.

This is how the catastrophic play by rookie receiver Malachi Corley was processed. The youngster had caught the ball from Rodgers in the second quarter and was on his way to the end zone. Centimeters before reaching it, he dropped the ball out of his right hand to celebrate.

Instead of a touchdown, it was a touchback and a turnover. Head coach Jeff Ulbrich said after the game that he was frustrated and angry. In the same breath, however, he also said that this was the perfect opportunity for Corley to develop and grow.

Rodgers described the play as just “stupid.”