Bills' Josh Allen vs. Jets' Aaron Rodgers: Elite on Mondays
If there is one certainty about the first Monday Night Football matchup of this season, it's that the fans will have every reason to believe they're going to see outstanding quarterback play.
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets have been outstanding on Monday nights in their respective careers, even if their won-lost records may not reflect it.
Allen comes in with a 3-3 record and a 68.3 completion percentage in his six starts. He's thrown 18 touchdowns against just two interceptions. When factoring in all night games, Allen is 11-3 with a 66.7 completion percentage and nearly four times as many touchdowns (39) as interceptions (11).
Rodgers, 39, obviously has a bit more experience. He's 12-8 on Monday nights with a 68.2 completion percentage and 38 touchdowns against 12 picks. His ticket to Canton was punched long ago.
He will be playing his first game with the Jets after spending the first 18 seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, and that's what makes this game particularly intriguing. When Tom Brady moved on from the New England Patriots after the 2019 season, it opened the door for Allen to become the top quarterback in the AFC, with nobody even a distant second.
Not anymore. The Bills, who used to see Rodgers only once every four years, now may see him as many as three times in one season. And he has a more impressive record than Allen, who is 12 years younger.
Allen could well one day surpass Rodgers in both production and efficiency, but he has a long way to go. He also may suddenly be in the league's toughest division, with the Jets and Miami Dolphins also widely considered Super Bowl contenders and the Patriots always a threat as long as Bill Belichick is in charge.
