Woody Johnson needed a handy scapegoat and didn’t have to look far to find one in Robert Saleh, the 20-36 former head coach of the Jets.

The owner concluded after five games that there was so much dysfunction in the offense that not even his designated Savior of the Franchise, Mr. Aaron Rodgers, could overcome it.

When Josh Allen and the Bills marched into MetLife Stadium on Monday night, interim Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich needed Aaron Rodgers to be the Aaron Rodgers that Johnson and GM Joe Douglas and Saleh were sure they would get when they asked him to be their Joe are. Namat and conquer.

Ulbrich needed Rodgers to find a way to make it all work with new play-caller Todd Downing replacing Nathaniel Hackett.

Ulbrich needed better protection for Rodgers and he needed Breece Hall to get out of the Football Witness Protection Program.

Most of all, he needed Rodgers to stare at Allen and never blink and finish the night tied for first in the AFC East.

The way Johnson talked about his roster the day he beat Saleh, you’d think Adam Gase could coach the Jets to their first playoff berth since the 2010 season.

The reality is that Saleh was just one of many underachievers.

Jets players have waxed poetic about responsibility and locking arms in the wake of Johnson’s impulsive decision to shake up the franchise.

“I think it puts the spotlight on us,” Rodgers said.

Mostly on him.

Especially on him.

Rodgers was among a good group of Jets who felt guilty about costing Saleh his job, and while the owner went out of his way to tell everyone it was his decision and his alone, you’d have to be pretty naive. to believe Rodgers was blindsided by it. You don’t pull the rug from under the head coach Rodgers linked arms with to create a New York legacy and chase a Super Bowl together and keep him in the dark – wait for it.

Ulbrich’s defensive players love him and have always played for him.

But Ulbrich couldn’t afford Rodgers throwing three interceptions like he did in London, or failing to get his team into the end zone against the Broncos.

Ulbrich couldn’t afford to see how Rodgers looked like a quarterback a month and a half after his 41st birthday.

Elite head coaches always make a difference, in any sport.

But ask Andy Reid about Patrick Mahomes. Ask Sean McDermott about Allen. Ask John Harbaugh about Lamar Jackson. Ask Zac Taylor about Joe Burrow.

Hall had to regain his swagger to keep Rodgers from attempting 54 passes and taking a beating. Downing had to use him as a weapon in the passing game. WR Mike Williams had to play a bigger role so Rodgers didn’t feel the need to force 22 targets on Garrett Wilson again. Downing had to be a more creative and unpredictable play-caller than Hackett had been.

Six months ago, I asked Ulbrich on the phone how Rodgers made him better.

“Oh my god, in countless ways,” Ulbrich said. “The most obvious thing: if he goes out of training, if we are off by an inch, we are going to pay for it. He makes sure you’re so detailed in everything you do: pre-snap, post-snap, technique, scheme, all of that. He’s going to elevate every man in this defense because there isn’t a second you can’t watch your data without being exploited. I think that’s probably the biggest impact he’ll have on me. I just can’t wait to have more conversations with him about what he sees, why he made certain decisions and how he sees the game. He is the best I have ever experienced, in terms of the footballer’s brain. I’ve never seen anything like it in terms of his ability to really read you, and not just to read you, but to have the skills that allow him to take advantage of what he sees. … It’s just a deadly combination.”

For the Jeff Ulbrich era to start better than the Robert Saleh era ended, that’s the Aaron Rodgers he needed and will have.