You cannot trust everything you read on the internet. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and The Pat McAfee Show learned that the hard way on Tuesday after they all took the bait of an X account that posted a false statistic during the Week 10 edition of Sunday Night Football.

“This is now Jared Goff’s 7TH career game with at least 4 interceptions,” Civ said before the Detroit Lions stunned the Houston Texans and snatched a 26-23 victory in overtime. “His record in those games? 6-0. Does Goff have the Texans right where he wants them?”

Rodgers brought up the stat during his regular spot on The Pat McAfee Show, asking the host and his crew for confirmation. They nodded along and agreed, supporting the accuracy of the claim. The successful swindler took a bow after his lie duped multiple people live on television.

“If you’ve ever wondered how easy it is to spread fake information,” Civ posted. “I made this stat up while laying in bed at halftime of the game.” Rodgers, McAfee and the rest of the gang will surely be more careful the next time they come across a highly incredible tidbit of data.

What the Lions accomplished on Sunday in NRG Stadium was already unbelievable on its own. Goff threw a whopping five interceptions, but the defense made multiple momentum-changing plays and he found his groove in the fourth quarter. Escaping such a brutal box score with a win is unimaginable to do just once. It would be inconceivable to pull off a favorable result six more times.

Though, the inclination to believe a remarkable stat can cause many of us to lower our truth-discerning abilities on occasion. It is somewhat poetic that Aaron Rodgers gave Civ the benefit of the doubt, albeit after some apparent uncertainty, given that the Jets are arguably the biggest tricksters of the 2024-25 season.

The Aaron Rodgers-led Jets have sorely disappointed this year

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at State Farm Stadium.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

New York entered the campaign with an abundance of talent and optimism, compelling many people (including this writer) to anoint the team as the AFC East favorite and a bona fide contender. An embarrassing 31-6 loss to the red-hot Arizona Cardinals has essentially ended the Jets' playoff aspirations, as they fall to 3-7 on the year.

Although the conference is weak overall and the squad has five games in a row against squads with a record that is presently below .500, there are too many hurdles New York still has to clear before it can realistically go on a big run. Rodgers is only completing 62.4 percent of his passes, and the offense as a whole has lacked a spark throughout the season.

For the sanity of an emotionally vulnerable fan base, hopefully Jets nation will not be as willing to believe in a miraculous scenario as Rodgers and The Pat McAfee Show were on this day.