The New York Jets haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010 season, and this is a win-now season. The schedule for 2024 won’t exactly make that road an easy one. Even though no NFL schedule is easy, the Jets have a difficult first “half” of the season to contend with.
Jets Schedule: Not Easy Road in Win-Now Season
The seats of Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas are warm and toasty. It’s playoffs or bust for the Jets in 2024. The Jets took a lot of high-risk-high-reward swings in free agency this offseason, which reflects this fact.
The Jets official Twitter account released the schedule minutes into the NFL Network broadcast.
Your OFFICIAL 2024 New York Jets schedule. pic.twitter.com/EMSGBYHEOu
— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 16, 2024
Let’s dive in and look at how the schedule looks for the Jets, especially early.
Seven Standalone Games
The league thinks highly of the Jets, in a way. Even though one of the games is the London Game — which is part of the brutal first half (addressed later) — the Jets play seven standalone games, albeit all by Week 12. This means the Jets are worth giving games where they’re the main attraction. With a healthy roster, this makes sense, because they’re a major contender. The league can flex the schedule as well. So, if the Jets become not worth it, they won’t be in those spots.
Brutal First Half
They have a road game on a short week to kick off the season. That’s followed up by a Thursday Night Football Game. Two weeks later, they will travel to London. Their first half concludes with a road game in Houston on Thursday Night Football.
The Likely Reason: Television Partner Ratings
Let’s be honest with ourselves here. The television networks, Amazon, and YouTube TV are partners in the television presentation of football to the masses. The NFL makes $12 billion on its exclusive rights deals. So, when the schedule gets released, you can be sure the executives at FOX, CBS, NBC Universal, Amazon, and Disney have a say in the schedule.
Six of their seven current standalone games are in the first half of the season. Disney, Amazon, and NBC Universal probably wanted the Jets when they are expected to be at their healthiest, given the roster’s injury history. The Jets storyline for the season is also intriguing. So, getting them on national television makes sense.
Season Finale at Home
Per Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets are ending the season at home for the first time since 2016.
Notes on the #Jets schedule:
* Six prime-time games: The most in franchise history.
* Finish the season at home for the first time since 2016.
* Play their fourth regular-season game outside the country (London).— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 16, 2024
The last seven seasons have seen the Jets end the season with New England four times, Buffalo twice, and Miami once.
The Jets have ended the season eight times against the Dolphins all-time. They are 0-2 in those played at home. That said, the Jets are 16-10 all-time in season finales at home.
Final Conclusion
There are quite a few short weeks early on balanced out with a late Bye Week and mostly early slates late in the season. The Jets have to win either way, and there are no excuses in this win-now season.
Main Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY NETWORK
