The New York Jets and their fans were all pumped up to host the division-rival Buffalo Bills inside MetLife Stadium Monday night.
For Gang Green and its faithful, this was supposed to be the start of a new era of J.E.T.S. football. That lasted about four plays before Aaron Rodgers went down to injury following a sack from Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd. Rodgers did not return to action with the fear being that he suffered a serious injury.
As for the game itself, Bills quarterback Josh Allen continued his mistake-prone way with three interceptions (all to Jets safety Jordan Whitehead) and a lost fumble.
An evening that started with fans and the league paying homage to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on its anniversary concluded with an unknown player walking it off for a 22-16 Jets win in overtime. Below, we recap this game while checking in on Rodgers’ status.
Top performances from New York Jets thrilling win
Jordan Whitehead, safety, New York Jets
A sixth-year safety out of Pittsburgh, Whitehead started all 17 games for the Jets last season. He played well, recording 89 tackles, eight passes defended and two interceptions while yielding a 54.8% completion when targeted.
None of this means that we could’ve anticipated what Whitehead did against the Bills Monday night. The veteran safety registered three interceptions of Josh Allen, the latter of which ultimately turned into a Jets touchdown to tie the game up in the fourth quarter. It was just a matter of time before the Jets’ ball-hawking ways made an impact in this one.
Leonard Floyd, EDGE, Buffalo Bills
Making his first appearance in a Bills uniform, this underrated veteran had an early impact on Monday’s game. Unfortunately, it came on the very same play that saw Aaron Rodgers go down to injury. In no way can we blame Floyd for putting pressure on Rodgers while coming away with the sack.
What we do know is that Floyd was all over the Jets’ backfield throughout the game. That included the veteran recording two quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks. This is no small thing for a Bills team that is missing future Hall of Famer edge guy Von Miller due to injury. Floyd came up big time in a game that saw Buffalo’s star players struggle.
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Garrett Wilson, wide receiver, New York Jets
The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year put up the highlight to end all highlights Monday night. With New York down 13-6 in the fourth quarter, he hauled in an errant Zach Wilson pass for a game-tying touchdown. It wasn’t your average catch, either.
There is no way to properly explain what Wilson did here. He nearly caught the ball with one hand while falling the other way in midair, only to come down with the touchdown as he hit the turf. Sure, Wilson only tallied 34 yards on five catches. But that one reception was absolutely huge.
Stefon Diggs, wide receiver, Buffalo Bills
This Pro Bowl receiver voiced a ton of frustration throughout the spring over the Bills’ postseason failures of the past couple years. There was seemingly a split between Diggs and Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen heading into the season.
While Diggs will not be happy about the end result of Monday night’s game, he did show up big time. The Pro Bowler caught 10-of-13 targets for 102 yards. He was also an important cog in that final drive of regulation, catching three passes, as the Bills tied it up and sent the game to overtime.
Breece Hall, running back, New York Jets
In just his second rush attempt since suffering a torn ACL as a rookie last season, Hall nearly took down the house inside MetLife Stadium Monday night. The youngster put up an absurd 83-yard run. He nearly took it to the house, too. That singular play was awesome in that it showed that a serious knee injury wasn’t going to slow Hall down.
All said Monday night, Hall tallied 147 total yards on just 11 touches. Even if we were to take away that 83-yard run, Hall averaged 6.4 yards per touch. After a stellar start to his rookie campaign, Hall is proving it was not a fluke.
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Xavier Gipson, wide receiver, New York Jets
What a way for this “Hard Knicks” star to make his name known in his NFL regular season debut. A long shot to earn a spot on the Jets’ 53-man roster heading into training camp, Gipson showed enough for head coach Robert Saleh and Co. to have confidence in him.
The Stephen F. Austin product proved New York’s brass right. With the game tied at 16 in overtime, he took a Sam Martin punt and returned it to the house for 65 yards, ending the game in dramatic fashion. This represented only the third NFL game to end in overtime via a punt return. Enjoy it, kid.
Top Buffalo Bills takeaway from Monday night
Josh Allen turnovers
Josh Allen. The focus simply needs to be on Buffalo’s high-priced franchise quarterback. Allen entered Week 1 having accounted for 17 turnovers in his previous 13 games. Turnovers were a major talking point late last season and during Buffalo’s failed playoff run.
The bad Josh Allen once again showed up Monday night at MetLife Stadium. He threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in a disastrous all-around performance for the former NFL MVP candidate. As talented as the Bills are, they can’t afford their QB1 to give a game away like we saw Monday night in Jersey. It’s that simple.
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Top New York Jets takeaway from Monday night
Aaron Rodgers injury
It’s hard to look at anything as a bigger takeaway from this game than Rodgers being injured four snaps into the future Hall of Famer’s Jets career. The four-time NFL MVP went down after being sacked by Leonard Floyd. After initially getting himself up from the turf, he fell back down to the ground.
Ultimately, Rodgers was carted off to the locker room with what the Jets described as an ankle injury. X-rays were negative. However, Rodgers was seen heading into the Jets’ locker room in a walking boot. He’s slated for an MRI on Monday, but the Jets fear that Rodgers did indeed suffer a torn Achilles. If confirmed on Tuesday, it will end his season.
To say that this would be devastating for the Jets is an understatement. They entered the 2023 season with high expectations after acquiring Rodgers in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers. They constructed their roster around the future Hall of Famer. If he is indeed lost for the season, it’s hard to imagine where the team goes from here.