Aaron Rodgers penalized for a bad late hit after throwing interception in blowout loss to Bills

Aaron Rodgers found a way to make a bad interception worse on Sunday afternoon.

The New York Jets quarterback, after throwing a pick in the third quarter of their 40-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, tried to make a tackle to limit the damage. But instead, Rodgers shoved Bills cornerback Christian Benfort well after he had stepped out of bounds. That led to a late hit penalty and moved the Bills even further down the field.

Rodgers didn’t really need to shove Benfort at that moment, either. He was going out of bounds anyways. Instead, the rare interception-late hit combo moved the Bills an extra 15 yards and into Jets territory to start their drive.

"I don't think I pushed him very hard," Rodgers said, via ESPN.

The Bills then scored five plays later, when Josh Allen hit Amari Cooper for a wild 30-yard grab, to push their lead to 19-0.

That catch pushed Amari Cooper over the 10,000-yard mark in his career. It was also Allen’s 40th touchdown of the season, which is a mark he’s hit for five consecutive years. The Bills hold a 13-3 record after Sunday's win. They've already clinched the AFC East, and they're looking to secure the second-best seed in the playoffs behind only the Kansas City Chiefs in the conference.

Rodgers has struggled with the Jets all season, which is essentially his first with the franchise after he went down with a season-ending Achilles injury just four plays into last season. The team holds a 4-12 record, and they’ve already been eliminated from playoff contention. They also don’t have a head coach or general manager, after both Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh were fired last month.

Rodgers entered Sunday’s game at Highmark Stadium with 3,511 yards and 24 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His pick to Benfort was his second of the day. The Jets then pulled Rodgers from the game in the fourth quarter after they had fallen behind 40-0. Rodgers finished throwing 12 of 18 for 112 yards with two interceptions. He was sacked four times.

Tyrod Taylor took them the rest of the way. He actually led the Jets into the end zone on his first two drives, too. Taylor hit Garrett Wilson for a 9-yard score and pulled off a 2-point conversion, and then he hit Tyler Conklin for a 20-yard touchdown on his second drive. He finished throwing 12 of 14 for 83 yards.

Rodgers' future with the Jets is still in the air, and Taylor looked solid in his short run leading the team during the 26-point blowout loss. While that won't be decided based on Sunday's game alone, Rodgers and the Jets clearly have a lot to figure out this offseason if the organization is going to end its 14-year playoff drought.