For the third straight year, the Jets drew a challenging early-season schedule. This year, however, the challenge is less about the opponents and more about the timing of the games.
Strip away the seven standalone games in the first eleven and the pair of four-day turnarounds in the first nine weeks, and there are plenty of winnable games before the Week 12 bye.
Titans (Week 2), Patriots (Week 3), Broncos (Week 4), Vikings (Week 5), Patriots (Week 8), Cardinals (Week 10) are all games the Jets could or should win — if Aaron Rodgers stays healthy. Of the rest (49ers, Bills, Steelers, Texans, Colts), several games could be won.
6-5 isn’t crazy. 7-4 isn’t unreasonable. 8-3 isn’t impossible.
The Jets believe (and apparently the league has already conceded) that the goal was to get them in prime-time games while they were still competitive. Before the wheels come off. As they have in each of the last two years.
This year, the difficult games definitely happen down the stretch. In the final six games, the Jets face four playoff teams from 2023 and two others that nearly qualified: Seahawks, at Dolphins, at Jaguars, Rams, at Bills, and Dolphins.
Strangely, the Jets have no late-afternoon games on CBS. However, it’s entirely possible that one or more of the games in the back end will end up in the big spot at 4:25 p.m. ET.
The Jets won’t complain because: (1) every team has something to complain about in their schedule; and (2) there’s nothing that can be done about it other than play the games.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
