AFC East stock up, stock down: Josh Allen's miscues, heroics spark emotional Jets win

The Miami Dolphins displayed the qualities of a division champion, while the New York Jets had a Hall of Fame quarterback for just 75 seconds. Here's whose stock is trending up and down in the AFC East:

Stock up

Jets defense and special teams: On a night when New York watched its Super Bowl aspirations disappear as quarterback Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles four snaps into his Jets debut, the defense and special teams unit gave fans something to cheer about. 

New York's defense continued to cause problems for Josh Allen, sacking Buffalo's signal-caller five times and forcing him to commit four turnovers, highlighted by safety Jordan Whitehead's three interceptions. Per ESPN's Field Yates, Whitehead earned himself a $250k bonus due to an incentive clause in his contract, which required him to record three interceptions over the course of the regular season.

To cap off the evening, undrafted free agent rookie and "Hard Knocks" star Xavier Gipson clinched the 22-16 win on a 65-yard walk-off punt return, the third time a punt was returned for a touchdown during overtime in NFL history. With Rodgers out for the season, New York will need the defense and special teams to continue carrying the team, as it has one of the more daunting schedules in the NFL.  

QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins: After having career years last season, the Dolphins duo picked up where it left off and delivered historic performances in their thrilling 36-34 win over the Chargers.

Tagovailoa completed 28-of-45 passes for 466 yards, the third most in a Week 1 game in the Super Bowl era, to go along with three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to Hill, who recorded 11 receptions for 215 yards, marking his third career game with at least 200 receiving yards and multiple scores, which is the most by any player since 1950.

According to OddsChecker, Tagovailoa has gained early momentum in the MVP race and now has the second-best odds to win the award (+750), while Hill has emerged as the front-runner for Offensive Player of the Year (+800). 

Mac Jones, New England Patriots quarterback: Aside from a 70-yard pick-six, Jones fared well against the reigning NFC champion and appears to be returning to Pro Bowl form after a disastrous 2022 season. Jones threw for 316 yards, which would've been his third-highest single-game passing total last year, and three touchdowns.   

Even so, considering New England narrowly lost 25-20, Jones was critical of his performance when speaking to reporters after the game, pinpointing his poor start as an area that needs to be improved.

“I really didn’t throw any good passes on the first drive,” Jones said via Zack Cox of NESN. “So, a slow start, and it starts with me. I’ve just got to watch the tape and clean it up... We couldn’t score early, and we just fell behind because of me. I just put it on myself.”

Stock down 

Jets' Super Bowl odds: While Monday's win was electrifying, and the defense continues to prove it can be a championship-caliber unit, it's time to come back to reality. Without Rodgers, this Jets team isn't much different from last season's 7-10 group.

After all, the four-time MVP was brought in to replace former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, now the starter for the rest of the season, barring another quarterback acquisition.

In relief of Rodgers, Wilson threw for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception. If he can solidify himself as an effective game manager, Wilson could end up salvaging his career. However, given his 16 career touchdowns to 19 interceptions and 8-14 record as a starter, it seems like a long shot that the Jets will reach the level they could have with Rodgers.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills quarterback: As previously mentioned, Allen was disappointing during Monday's game, throwing three egregious interceptions to Whitehead and committing a costly fourth-quarter fumble that enabled the Jets to make a go-ahead field goal. Allen led the league in turnovers last season (19) and he was evidently frustrated that his struggles have carried into 2023. 

"Same s—, same place, different day ... I hurt our team tonight," Allen said during a postgame news conference via Awful Announcing. "I cost our team tonight. This feels eerily similar to last year, and I hate that it's the same. I do." 

The 27-year-old will aim to turn things around this week against a Raiders defense that was one of nine teams that didn't force a turnover in their first game of the season. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England Patriots wide receiver: Despite denying Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated's report that his knee was "a mess," Smith-Schuster was utilized like a player who is still dealing with an injury. New England signed the former Super Bowl champion to a three-year, $33M contract this offseason to replace current Raider Jakobi Meyers. 

Yet, Smith-Schuster ran the fourth-most routes among New England's pass-catchers in the season opener and wasn't on the field late in the fourth quarter when the Patriots had an opportunity to win the game. 

Smith-Schuster still managed to catch four passes for 33 yards, but if his workload doesn't increase in the coming weeks, more questions about his knee are likely to arise.