EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who arrived last year saying he wanted to add another Super Bowl trophy to the “lone” Lombardi in the team’s showcase, was reduced to a less ambitious goal Sunday after he had fallen to 3-8.

One that doesn’t involve a trophy.

“I’m in my 20th year,” Rodgers said calmly after a 28-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. “I’ve been thinking of a way to do this for a long time. You have to remember why you fell in love with this game.”

Rodgers explained how he will keep himself motivated over the final six games – perhaps the final six games of his storied career. His bravado is tempered by a team that is finding new ways to lose week after week and by a franchise that is on the verge of missing the playoffs for the fourteenth straight season.

His two-year record with the Jets: one torn Achilles tendon and just three wins.

On Sunday, the Jets overcame a 13-0 deficit, took a 27-22 lead late in the fourth quarter and succumbed to defense in the final two minutes. They allowed Anthony Richardson to go 70 yards in six plays for the winning touchdown with 46 seconds left — a 4-yard run by the second-year quarterback.

Rodgers, outplayed by Richardson, again delivered a mediocre performance. He completed 22 of 29 passes, including two touchdowns, but gained just 184 yards – his second straight game under 200. Afterwards, Rodgers refused to use the word “shocked” to describe the team’s plight.

“That’s a buzzword, so I’m not going to answer that answer to what you just said,” he told a reporter. “I just want to say I’m disappointed.”

The four-time MVP also seemed unhappy with at least one coaching decision. After taking a 23-16 lead with 13:03 left in the fourth quarter on a short touchdown catch by tight end Kenny Yeboah, Rodgers looked to go for two. He gestured “two” to the sideline. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich opted for the extra point, giving them an eight-point lead.

Rodgers said he was “under the impression” they would go for two as it was decided on the sidelines before the drive.

“Something has changed in the meantime,” he said. “…So I had taken two and looked around but I couldn’t really tell. It looked like they were holding one up. I was a little confused because I thought we had talked about it to go for two.”

Later, Ulbrich made another questionable decision. He opted for a 35-yard field goal attempt instead of going for the kill shot on a fourth-and-2 from the Colts’ 17-yard line with 2:41 to play.

Rodgers, who passed Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino to move into eighth place on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage list, wanted to go for it.

“Yeah, but I mean, Brick felt good about Anders (Carlson) kicking it and the defense stopping it,” he said. “But yes, of course (I wanted to go for it). I felt like we had to reach 30 to be in the match. The way we played, obviously we still had to reach 30 to win.

“But hey, if we were a great team we would have scored seven.”

The Jets, losers of seven of their last eight, are not a great team. A great team doesn’t start the game without a first down on its first five possessions.

Ulbrich, now 1-5 since replacing the fired Robert Saleh, second-guessed himself for taking the field goal.

“I felt confident that the defense would get the stop, so I opted to kick the field goal there and not go for it,” Ulbrich said. “In retrospect, I probably should have gone for it.”

The defense has given up 26 points per game since Ulbrich replaced Saleh.

Once the hallmark of the team, the unit imploded at critical time. Richardson, who started the day as a 44% passer, went 3-for-3 for 60 yards on the winning drive, including a 39-yard strike to a wide-open Alec Pierce. He found a soft spot in a zone between cornerback Sauce Gardner and safety Jalen Mills.

“At the end of the day, that last drive was just very demoralizing and not our standard,” cornerback DJ Reed said.

Rodgers got the ball back with 45 seconds left, with no timeouts. This was the fourth time he had the opportunity to score a win on their final possession, as he has done so many times in his career. But the fourth time there was no magic.

It was an ugly finish. The final three plays: a Rodgers fumble for a loss of 11; a short wrap-up; a sack to end the game.

Ulbrich, who usually raved about Rodgers, offered no superlatives this day.

“I know Aaron would like to play better, but it’s not just him,” the coach said. “It’s all of us.”

“Pretty bad play,” Rodgers said of the fumble.

Pretty bad season.