Week 1 might have confirmed the Dolphins don't need to fear Aaron Rodgers

The AFC East became a competitive division last year with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills looking like playoff contenders at the very least. Well, once Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets, people lost their damn minds and thought the Jets were Super Bowl contenders just like that.

Unfortunately for the Jets, Rodgers was injured four plays into his Jets tenure and missed the entire season. The Jets missed the playoffs for the 13th straight year and Dolphins fans had a good time laughing about that.

Well, this offseason, the Jets have been a popular pick not just to win the division but to make it all the way to the Super Bowl (funny enough -- the Dolphins are now tied with the best odds to win the AFC West, per FanDuel). We're only one week into the season but those people might want a mulligan when it comes to their Super Bowl predictions because Rodgers did not look like the Rodgers of old in his 2024 debut.

Maybe the Dolphins don't need to worry about Aaron Rodgers after all...

Rodgers finished his second-ever Jets game tossing for 167 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a blowout loss to San Francisco. It was his first game since tearing his Achilles in Week 1 last year so we all knew there'd be some rust but with how cocky both he and Jets fans were coming into the season, seeing him struggle was oh so sweet.

To make the situation even funnier, when Rodgers was injured a season ago, Zach Wilson came in and put up similar numbers and the Jets won the game. Now, of course, the Jets defense played much better in last year's opener but still... We kept hearing about how the Jets were a quarterback away from winning. Is that still the case?

It was easy to root against Rodgers before he landed with the Jets but now that he's in the same division as the Dolphins, fans will be rooting for him to continue to struggle in New York. The AFC East is competitive enough with the Buffalo Bills also vying for the division crown, the Dolphins don't need another team coming in and trying to be at the top of the mountain.

Maybe this is a situation where Rodgers finds his footing and balls out as the season progresses and if so, that won't be good news for the Dolphins, who don't play him and his Jets until December. Let's hope he continues to play like he did in the season opener and doesn't revert to his Packers version.