Regular Season
Schedule:
- Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Sun., 1:00 – Win
- Week 2: @ Buffalo Bills, Thurs., 8:25 – Loss
- Week 3: @ Kansas City Chiefs, Sun., 4:25 – Loss
- Week 4: vs. Seattle Seahawks, Sun., 1:00 – Win
- Week 5: @ Pittsburgh Steelers, Sun., 1:00 – Loss
- Week 6: @ Arizona Cardinals, Mon., 8:30 – Win
- Week 7: vs. Baltimore Ravens, Sun., 1:00 – Loss
- Week 8: @ Cleveland Browns, Sun., 1:00 – Win
- Week 9: @ Miami Dolphins, Sun., 1:00 – Win
- Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Rams, Sun., 1:00 – Loss
- Week 11: BYE
- Week 12: vs. New England Patriots, Sun., 8:30 – Win
- Week 13: vs. Indianapolis Colts, Mon., 8:30 – Win
- Week 14: @ San Francisco 49ers, Sun., 4:05 – Win
- Week 15: vs. Miami Dolphins, Sat., 8:25 – Win
- Week 16: @ New England Patriots, Sat., 1:00 – Loss
- Week 17: vs. Buffalo Bills, Sun., 1:00 – Win
Just look at this schedule. The first six (and possibly seven) weeks are an absolute joke. It’s almost as if the football gods are playing a horrific joke on the New York Jets. The first nine games feature six on the road.
Furthermore, those first six games very easily make or break the entire season. Should the Jets go 3-3 within their first six, it’ll be smooth sailing the rest of the way.
RELATED: The First Six Games Can Make Or Break Jets
We have New York losing a mind-boggling heartbreaker to Jeff Fisher‘s mediocre Los Angeles Rams at home that’ll turn their schedule an even 5-5. However, winning five of their last six will have them as the hottest team entering the NFL tournament.
The NFL is unlike other sports that feature 162 or 82 regular season games. A rough schedule, can, in fact, wipe an entire season out before it even gets going. This is even true for talented teams who just ran into some rough luck.
AFC East:
- New England Patriots – 11-5, 4-2
- New York Jets – 10-6, 4-2
- Miami Dolphins – 7-9, 2-4
- Buffalo Bills – 5-11, 2-4
You cannot become the champ until you first dethrone the champ, and in the AFC East, the order of business always defaults to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Bill Belichick’s squad has won seven straight AFC East crowns and 13 of the last 15. No logical mind can bet against them until it’s actually witnessed first. The perfect opportunity lies ahead of the Jets with Brady sitting out the first four games. It’s right there in front of them to take.
Unfortunately, for New York, it’ll have to play its way into the tournament yet again as a road wild card. We’ll have to see the Pats be dethroned first to put into writing.
Make no mistake about it, though: this 10-6 finish is an incredible achievement when compared to the 10-6 finish from a year ago (in facing that cupcake schedule).
