NFL fans all make same Aaron Rodgers joke as lights at Hall of Fame Game go out

The opening game of the 2023 NFL preseason didn't exactly run smoothly.

Following the third quarter of Thursday night's Cleveland Browns versus New York Jets matchup, several banks of lights went out at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

With the venue not fully lit up, the Hall of Fame Game entered a delay.

The 4th quarter of the HOF game is on hold as we are currently in a delay due to the lights going out 😫 pic.twitter.com/QBI5rwj64m

The lighting issue was ultimately resolved and the fourth quarter began after a roughly 15-minute delay.

During the pause in the action, though, the NBC broadcast showed new Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sitting on New York's sideline in the dark.

The lights turned off 😅 pic.twitter.com/EnOEInnakt

And that image unsurprisingly prompted a ton of darkness retreat jokes on social media.

Darkness retreat. pic.twitter.com/f0z72n8gaU

Aaron Rodgers darkness retreat part. 2 pic.twitter.com/YHmGqVbusp

Dude, we get it, you went on a darkness retreat pic.twitter.com/vKAF3vW67N

hello darkness my old friend pic.twitter.com/UeTZzIsdKB

this darkness retreat thing isn't all it's cracked up to be pic.twitter.com/mS1TJ0PUYk

Aaron Rodgers having darkness retreat flashbacks pic.twitter.com/YAvgkmbQxw

Hall of Fame Game turned into a darkness retreat.

"Turn the lights off" pic.twitter.com/7C1OGGHJU1

You merely adopted the darkness. Aaron Rodgers was born in it. pic.twitter.com/zXM2VWNuxJ

Rodgers, 39, went on a darkness retreat in Oregon this past February as he pondered his playing future. He spent multiple days in a 300-square-foot room that had no natural light and only featured a bed, a meditation mat and a bathroom.

Rodgers said he went into the retreat leaning 90 percent toward retiring, but he emerged from the darkness wanting to return for a 19th season. The Green Bay Packers, however, weren't exactly welcoming Rodgers back with open arms, which put the wheels in motion for the four-time NFL MVP's eventual move to the Jets.

Rodgers, who recently took a massive pay cut, wasn't in uniform for Thursday's preseason opener. That may continue to be the case until Sept. 11 when the Jets open their season at home against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.