In 2023, the Jets brought in offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who built a system around Aaron Rodgers—using tight formations, play-action, and half-field reads that had worked for them in Green Bay. To help Rodgers settle in, they signed his former Packers teammates Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. Tight ends Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah were already in place to support the 12-personnel approach Hackett wanted, aimed at creating mismatches. But the plan fell apart just four snaps into Week 1.

When playing against the Bills, Leonard Floyd broke through the left side, and Rodgers’ Achilles gave out beneath the turf. The MetLife crowd that had roared during his flag-bearing entrance on 9/11 fell silent in seconds. A meticulously planned offense, months of installation, and hours of drills– collapsed in an instant.

With Rodgers down, Hackett had to pivot mid-game to an improvised Plan B. He abandoned heavy 12‑personnel packages, simplified protections, and leaned on Zach Wilson. Wilson replaced Rodgers, stumbled a few times, but grew steadier. The O-line and Wilson adapted on the fly—no tight-end-heavy play-action, no rollout complexities, just quick reads and manageable calls. Two years later, when Dan Tortora asked him about the most challenging moment he’s ever had on the July 12 episode of the Wake Up Call podcast, that’s when the ex-Jets coach opened up about it.

“That first Monday Night Football game when we were at New York and Aaron went down after those four plays and we were playing the Buffalo Bills… it was amazing. Because for somebody that you care so much about, to see something like that happen — and then still have to go out and win a football game?” Hackett recalled.

“We had to make some adjustments, and Zach Wilson went out there and didn’t skip a beat. He had a couple hiccups here and there, but we ended up winning that football game versus the Bills.” As the injury forced Rodgers from the field, Hackett dialed down to quick-develop concepts, short drops, slants, and screens, surrendering the original 12-personnel script for something safe. Wilson, under duress, delivered 14-of-21 for 140 yards, a touchdown, and a pick, all while absorbing five hits and two sacks, but kept the offense moving.

“That was one of the hardest games I’ve ever had to call, just because of all the emotions going into it,” Hackett admitted. The intensity peaked when Xavier Gipson weaved 65 yards with a punt return in OT, a play that flipped despair into joy. For the entirety of that night, Hackett was simultaneously coaching, mourning, and strategizing, and that return gave him a moment to pause and breathe.

“It was a total team effort. Zach did some great things that game, and we were able to beat that team. We didn’t get the results we wanted for the whole season, but that specific game — to be able to sit there and be strong — that meant something. Because the one guarantee the NFL gives you is you’re going to face adversity. Seeing how that group stood up and came together to win that game… that was pretty astounding.”

Hackett leans on this game not for scheme validation, but as proof that his roster had character and resilience under a catastrophic shift. That moment, over all others that season, showed him what the group was made of—even if the rest of 2023 didn’t follow through.