After two impressive individual performances by Xavier Gipson and Jordan Whitehead, they were named AFC players of the week. Tua Tagovailoa was the AFC offensive player of the week.
In the Jets’ mercurial 22-16 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, Whitehead offered consistent excellence. Having entered the game with seven interceptions across his previous five seasons, White tallied three picks in the season opener — one more than he’d ever registered in a season. Whitehead, who added two tackles, recorded his interceptions in the second, third, and fourth quarters.
The undrafted rookie had four returns on Monday night — two kickoffs and a pair of punts — but it was his last of the evening that might well have been the biggest highlight of Week 1. Gipson fielded a punt on the second possession of overtime and weaved 65 yards for a run-off overtime score in New York’s 22-16 triumph over the Buffalo Bills. Gipson became just the third NFL player to return a punt for a TD in overtime and joined Tyler Lockett as the only players over the last 10 seasons to score on a punt return in his first league game.
Jets fans are sounding with their reactions to Xavier Gipson and Jordan Whitehead in our Jets online forum.