The New York Jets had their official 2024 NFL schedule released, unveiling they have six games in primetime on Monday Night, Thursday Night, and Sunday Night football games. That starts with their Week 1 opener, as Aaron Rodgers is welcomed back home in California against the runner-up San Francisco 49ers.
That will be a big test early for the Jets, as their home opener isn’t till Week 3 against the division rival New England Patriots with rookie quarterback Drake Maye or veteran Jacoby Brissett.
With five home games before their Week 12 bye week, they face half of their AFC East rivals before the bye. The Jets get the Pats twice and the Buffalo Bills once, putting the focus on their other nondivision primetime games.
Ultimately, it is all contingent on whether this team can stay healthy. On paper, New York has the veteran pieces and enough talent to achieve what they haven’t been able to do since 2010.
Make the playoffs, something that has eluded Gang Green in the Big Apple for 11 consecutive seasons.
New York Jets: Easiest Stretch
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I would say the easiest part of the schedule is early in the season after the Jets play the 49ers. From Weeks 2-5, they play the Tennessee Titans away, the Pats at home, the Denver Broncos at home, and the Minnesota Vikings away.
Three out of those four teams will likely have a rookie quarterback starting and Will Levis is still not a proven winning starter. Against the Vikings, it will be interesting to see if this is a revenge game for Sam Darnold, former Jets quarterback, or if the rookie J.J. McCarthy gets the nod by then.
For Denver and New England, Bo Nix and Drake Maye could be in a world of trouble against a stingy Jets defense at MetLife.
The veteran former MVP quarterback will have better protection on the offensive line with veterans Tyron Smith, John Simpson, and Morgan Moses. The Jets offense will have upgraded weapons from free agency like Mike Williams, along with this past NFL Draft with Olu Fashanu as a player to develop, and Malachi Corley in the slot.
Aaron Rodgers and the Jets need to win three out of those four games at the very least to be in the thick of things in terms of playoff talk by the middle of the season.
New York Jets: Toughest Stretch
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The back half of the schedule after the Jets bye week is tough, facing the Dolphins twice in Week 14 and Week 18, along with the Bills again in Week 17.
In week 13, they matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at home, who won nine games last year, to then follow that up with Miami on their home turf at HardRock. The Jets follow that with a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, staying in Florida and going against a team for Week 15 that also won nine games last season.
Before facing two AFC East foes to end the year, the Jets play a 10-win playoff team at Metlife for Week 16, as the Los Angeles Rams visit New York.
Splitting against their division games and coming away with one or two wins against non-division opponents would increase their chances of making the playoffs in 2024.
New York Jets: Important Games
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Week 1 in San Francisco and the Buffalo games in Week 6 and 17 are good benchmarks to see what type of team the Jets are at that point.
It will be key for them to get more wins before the bye, as their second half-season schedule post-bye is tougher, especially with that late of a bye week due to fatigue.
I would expect a nine or ten-win season and a playoff berth with this schedule, but if the Jets don’t achieve close to that, Saleh and the rest of the staff could be canned at the end of the season. The defense alone should be able to win a few games, especially against the AFC East.
An 8-win team just won’t get the job done, with expectations sky high for a team that won 7 games back-to-back seasons even with the quarterback inconsistency due to the Rodgers injury.
This is an all-or-nothing type scenario with Rodgers, would might be done after 2024, as they are the biggest all-in team for 2024 with the offseason moves made. Other than maybe Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys.
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