The AFC East was expected to be perhaps the most competitive division in the NFL this season. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were favored to win the division for the fourth straight season, but the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins were expected to challenge them and make the race tighter than in years past.
But the Jets’ hopes for their first division title since 2002 took a major hit last night with Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury, ending his 2023 season.
An MRI confirmed today that Aaron Rodgers officially tore his Achilles on the fourth play of his Jets’ career.
Rodgers’ season now, officially, is over. There already are questions about whether his Hall-of-Fame career is, too.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2023
The Jets will now turn to Zach Wilson, who is obviously a massive downgrade at the quarterback position. In his first two seasons as the Jets’ QB, Wilson struggled mightily, which led them to aggressively pursue Rodgers in the first place.
Expectations this season are certainly lower now for New York, but how has Rodgers’ injury affected the AFC East division odds as well as the rest of the NFL Week 1 action?
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AFC East Division Odds Update
Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season had a massive impact on the outlook of the AFC East race this season. Not only did Rodgers suffer a major injury, but the Dolphins had a very impressive win over the Los Angeles Chargers, as Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill put up historical numbers for an NFL season opener. The Bills, meanwhile, lost in embarrassing fashion to the Rodgers-less Jets.
It’s only one week, but how has this impacted the AFC East odds? Let’s take a look.
AFC East Odds Going Into Week 1
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Buffalo Bills: +120
- New York Jets: +270
- Miami Dolphins: +300
- New England Patriots: +800
Current AFC East Odds
- Miami Dolphins: +135
- Buffalo Bills: +145
- New York Jets: +600
- New England Patriots: +900
That’s right, the Dolphins are the new favorites to win the AFC East. According to Sports Odds History, this is the first time the Dolphins have been the favorite since 2009, which is how far back their database goes.
MORE: Are Sportsbooks Refunding Player Prop Bets on Aaron Rodgers After His Injury?
The Jets’ odds, on the other hand, saw a massive increase, which is unsurprising given what took place last night. Not only are they without Rodgers for the rest of the season, but the Jets also have a really difficult five-week stretch coming up that includes games against the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Eagles.
For Buffalo, they find themselves in an unfamiliar situation since they’ve acquired Stefon Diggs to pair with Josh Allen.
Updated AFC East odds
Dolphins +135
Bills +145
Jets +600
Patriots +900Dating back to start of 2020 season, per @SOHistory, Bills have not be the favorite only 3 weeks (14-16 in 2021)
The division database goes to 2009 and in that time, the Dolphins have never been favorite
— David Bearman (@DavidBearmanPFN) September 12, 2023
We still have 17 weeks to go, so expect these odds to fluctuate a ton throughout the regular season. But one thing is for certain, the Jets’ odds took a massive hit last night.