What’s better than the schedule being released in May? Going through said schedule and making early predictions for each game in May because why not? We’re all crazy here.
It’s obviously very difficult to make predictions for games five, six, seven months in advance. So why do it? Because we can. Let’s make a best guess effort at predicting the Jets record in May.
Week 1 vs. Buffalo Bills
The crowd will be rocking for the Jets’ first Monday night game since 2020 and they have a huge opportunity right out of the gate against the team they’re trying to overtake in the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills.
The Jets somehow beat the Bills at home last season as a double-digit underdog. They’re an underdog here…but something says the Jets will find a way to get Aaron Rodgers a win in his Jets debut in front of a raucous home crowd.
Prediction: Jets win. 1-0.
Week 2 at Dallas Cowboys
Aaron Rodgers against the Cowboys. It’s a rivalry that has stood the test of time. Rodgers has been quite good over the years against Dallas. That stretch continues and the Jets start 2-0.
Prediction: Jets win. 2-0.
Week 3 vs. New England Patriots
14 straight losses. That will hang over the Jets’ heads all week long leading up to this one. When will the streak end? When will the Jets finally slay their dragon that is the Patriots?
Answer: Week 3.
Prediction: Jets win. 3-0.
Week 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
This will be the true litmus test for the Jets. They are pushing all in for a Super Bowl run. Well, here’s their chance against the team that’s defending their Super Bowl title, the Chiefs.
However, the Chiefs are still the Chiefs. The Jets may close the gap as the season wears on, but not this quickly.
Prediction: Jets lose. 3-1.
Week 5 at Denver Broncos
When the Jets went to Denver last year, they came away with a victory, but at a major cost. That was when both Breece Hall (ACL) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (tricep) were lost for the season. Almost a year to the day, the Jets return to Denver with Nathaniel Hackett now on the Jets’ sideline. Of course, Sean Payton is now on Denver’s sideline. The thought is that Denver can’t possibly be as bad as they were last year. They shouldn’t be…but New York is still much better.
Prediction: Jets win. 4-1.
Week 6 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
After ending their streak against the Patriots, the Jets can finally end their 0-for-forever streak against the Eagles. These two teams have met 12 times in the regular season. The Eagles have won all 12 games. Will No. 13 be lucky for the Jets?
The early guess is No. 13 will be unlucky. The Eagles offense is just as strong, even after losing Miles Sanders in free agency. The defense might not be, but it is still very talented and the Eagles have arguably the best roster in the league. The Jets go to 0-13 against Philly. Still, a 4-2 start with that gauntlet is a positive for the Jets heading into their bye.
Prediction: Jets lose. 4-2.
Week 8 at New York Giants
Coming out of the bye, the Jets essentially get an extra home game, as they are the visiting team against the Giants. It will be really interesting to see which fanbase shows up more in this one. Both teams are banking big on their quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers and Daniel Jones. This one could be really intriguing. Both teams have really good defenses. But Rodgers gets the edge here on Jones and the Giants’ offense.
Prediction: Jets win. 5-2.
Week 9 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
This is a good one. Rodgers vs. Justin Herbert. And while the playoff game will be a distant memory by the time this one takes place, right now, our last image of the Chargers is their complete meltdown against the Jaguars in January. Are the Chargers going to Charger again in prime time?
Prediction: Jets win. 6-2.
Week 10 at Las Vegas Raiders
The Jets will visit Las Vegas about two weeks before Thanksgiving. They hope to make a return trip three days before Valentine’s Day. A Sunday night date with Jimmy Garoppolo would be another step toward that goal for the Jets. The Raiders are always a tough team to figure out. We’ll have a better idea come Week 10. For now…
Prediction: Jets win. 7-2.
Week 11 at Buffalo Bills
The return date with the Bills comes in the middle of November. The Jets got a huge win to start the season over Buffalo. However, it’s really tough to call a season-sweep at this stage. Buffalo is too good.
Prediction: Jets lose. 7-3.
Week 12 vs. Miami Dolphins
You’ve survived the mad dashes for all those Black Friday specials. Now you’re ready to come home and watch the Jets…on Amazon Prime Video. Hey, maybe you can buy another TV. In any event, the Jets and Dolphins meet in the NFL’s first game on Black Friday. The hope is that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can actually play this time against the Jets. The Jets saw Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson during the two games last year. We’ll assume Tua plays — that could be a major assumption — but the home crowd leads the Jets to victory before doing more shopping over the weekend.
Prediction: Jets win. 8-3.
Week 13 vs. Atlanta Falcons
We’ve flipped the calendar to December. The Falcons come to town as the Jets continue their three-game homestand. Atlanta should be a better team, but by this point, we’ll have an idea of if Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder is the guy in Atlanta.
Prediction: Jets win. 9-3.
Week 14 vs. Houston Texans
CJ Stroud and Will Anderson were huge pickups in the draft for the Texans. But overall, this is still a pretty bad Houston team and one that could contend for the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft…if they still had their original pick in 2024. As we know, they traded that pick to Arizona to get Anderson. As for the Jets, they reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2015.
Prediction: Jets win. 10-3.
Week 15 at Miami Dolphins
The Jets begin their homestretch with three of their final four games on the road, starting in Miami in Week 15. At least they get their trip down south late again like last season when they wrapped up the season in South Beach. But like Buffalo, Miami is going to be hard to sweep. We’ll give the Jets a split here as well.
Prediction: Jets lose. 10-4.
Week 16 vs. Washington Commanders
The Jets play the day after Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas. At least they don’t have right on both holidays like the 49ers will — at Seattle on Thanksgiving, vs. Baltimore on Christmas.
Similar to Atlanta, the Commanders are rolling with a second-year quarterback in Sam Howell. The former North Carolina quarterback played well in his Week 18 start against the Cowboys last season. Can he hold up for an entire year? That’s the big question surrounding Washington right now. The Jets have a defense that can really rattle the young quarterback and throw the offense off.
Prediction: Jets win. 11-4.
Week 17 at Cleveland Browns
The Jets will play on a Thursday night during the holidays again just like last season. In 2022, they hosted the Jaguars on the Thursday before Christmas. In 2023, it’ll be on the road against the Browns on the Thursday after Christmas.
Last season, it was Joe Flacco vs. Jacoby Brissett when the Jets won a wild one in Cleveland in Week 2. This time, it’s Aaron Rodgers vs. Deshaun Watson in Week 17. Even on a short week and on the road, Rodgers and the Jets have the edge.
Prediction: Jets win. 12-4.
Week 18 at New England Patriots
The hope is the Jets have a postseason berth wrapped up by this point. They would love to be in contention for the division title. If they’re 12-4 at this point, they very well could be. Depending on the situation, the Jets could rest starters in this one. If not, the Jets should be in position to win two straight against the Patriots for the first time since 2009 and get their first season sweep of the Patriots since 2000.
Prediction: Jets win. 13-4.
Final tally
So this could be really optimistic picking the Jets to finish 13-4. That’s a six-win improvement from 2022. But had the Jets been healthy last season, ten wins were absolutely possible. And that was with a hodgepodge of quarterbacks. Now, it’s Aaron Rodgers leading the charge. The Jets can very well win the division for the first time since 2002. So there you have it, an early prediction of 13 wins for the Jets.
