The defense of the New York Jets put together a masterful outing in Week 1 and Jordan Whitehead undoubtedly stood out with his performance. After intercepting three passes off of Josh Allen on Monday night, Whitehead was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
A hat trick of picks means you gotta get an award.
Let's go, @jwhite_333!!
đź“° https://t.co/fUauNNjAgZ pic.twitter.com/JlV9zS7YG9
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 13, 2023
Whitehead is in his second season with the Jets and he’s tallied two interceptions in each of the last three seasons. The veteran safety set his career-high for interceptions in Week 1 to help the Jets secure a victory at home against the Bills.
The first two interceptions by Whitehead on Monday Night Football came with Allen forcing two throws down the middle of the field that were overthrown. Whitehead made sure that Allen’s mistakes didn’t go unpunished as he tallied his third interception on a play where he jumped a corner route intended for Gabe Davis.
As a result of his three-interception performance, Whitehead added more money to his pockets, receiving a $250,000 incentive for reaching three interceptions this season. Besides hitting his incentive already, Whitehead is now rewarded with the AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 1.