From the minute the schedule came out in May, people have been asking me what I thought the Jets record would be and whether they could make the playoffs.
I always tell them it’s too early. I like to see the team for a while and I also like to see who the opponents will have at quarterback and other tidbits.
Well, it’s no longer too early.
There was nothing better than the old segment on “Mike and the Mad Dog” of Mike and Chris going game by game with their predictions.
“Decembah, going to be cold out, give ’em a loss.”
Let’s try our best to go game by game with what could happen this season, based on what we have learned about the Jets and their opponents in training camp.
Week 1: at 49ers
One of the biggest storylines of camp has been the contract drama between the 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. There has been plenty of trade talk, but nothing has happened. My bet is the 49ers re-sign Aiyuk and he is on the field on Monday night in Week 1 to face the Jets.
The bigger question to me is whether all-world left tackle Trent Williams will be there. His holdout has received very little attention, but could have a massive impact on the 49ers.
I think San Francisco is good enough to overcome all this drama. If Christian McCaffrey is not back from a calf injury, then we can talk. Right now, I see the 49ers winning a close one over a Jets team that is going to be working out the kinks with a lot of new pieces.
Give ’em a loss … Record: 0-1
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Week 2: at Titans
This will be a different-looking Tennessee team with new coach Brian Callahan and no more Derrick Henry. The Jets should be in a different class than the Titans, who will have second-year quarterback Will Levis running the show, and this should be a nice bounce-back game. I can see former Jets safety Jamal Adams giving up a touchdown in this one.
Give ’em a win … Record: 1-1
Week 3: vs. Patriots
Well, this is going to take some time to get used to. The Patriots are now the doormat of the division. The Jets have not faced a Pats team coached by someone other than Bill Belichick since 1999, when Belichick was the DC of the NYJ. The Patriots are clearly in the early, early stages of a rebuild and should not be a tough matchup for the Jets.
Give ’em a win … Record: 2-1
Week 4: vs. Broncos
This game would be a juicy one if Zach Wilson is Denver’s quarterback, but that appears highly unlikely. Bo Nix appears to be the clear favorite to be the Broncos starter, and Wilson may not even end up as the No. 2. The Jets still remember Sean Payton’s comments from last year about the organization and Nathaniel Hackett. Yes, they already beat the Broncos last year, but you can bet Aaron Rodgers wants to humiliate Payton after what he said about his good friend Hackett. This is another rebuilding team, one likely with a rookie quarterback, that the Jets should dominate.
Give ’em a win … Record: 3-1
Week 5: vs. Vikings (in London)
Though we probably won’t get a Jets game against their former first-round pick in Week 4, it should come here with Sam Darnold now starting for the Vikings. I am going to give this one to the Vikings. I don’t have a great reason why other than I think it is difficult to win four games in a row. I think the Jets will be riding high and might be a little overconfident. Darnold and Justin Jefferson will bring them back to Earth.
Give ’em a loss … Record: 3-2
Week 6: vs. Bills
The biggest question in the AFC East is whether the Bills have slipped and are ready to be toppled after winning four straight division titles. The Bills look much different on defense, and there is no more Stefon Diggs on offense. They still have Josh Allen, though, and I think Allen and coach Sean McDermott still give them the edge in the division.
Give ’em a loss … Record: 3-3
Week 7: at Steelers
The grumbling will be building entering this game in Pittsburgh after the Jets drop two straight. There will be complaints about Robert Saleh and questions about Rodgers. That grumbling only will get louder after the Jets drop a close one in Pittsburgh. I’m not sure whether Russell Wilson or Justin Fields will be at quarterback, but I think Mike Tomlin finds a way to get the most out of his team and they knock off the Jets.
Give ’em a loss … Record: 3-4
Week 8: at Patriots
The “must win” chatter will be loud heading into this game in Foxborough. The good news is a terrible Patriots team arrives on the schedule at the perfect time for the Jets. The Pats used to use the Jets as a “get right” opponent, and now the Jets can pay back the favor. Jets roll in this one.
Give ’em a win … Record: 4-4
Week 9: vs. Texans
This should be a fun Thursday night game with the old guard in Rodgers facing the new guard in C.J. Stroud. The Jets beat the Texans last year with Wilson at quarterback. They beat them again with Rodgers throwing for 300 yards and the defense shutting down Stroud.
Give ’em a win … Record: 5-4
Week 10: at Cardinals
I think the Cardinals could be better than people think. Rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. looks as if he could have a monster season with Kyler Murray. Still, I think the Jets are the better team and keep their winning streak going in the desert.
Give ’em a win … Record: 6-4
Week 11: vs. Colts
If things go as expected, Anthony Richardson would be the fourth quarterback the Jets have faced who is in his first or second year. The Jets defense should feast on these guys. I said earlier a four game-winning streak is tough. Well, I think the Jets put it together here and roll over the Colts.
Give ’em a win … Record: 7-4
Week 13: vs. Seahawks
The Jets face another ghost of quarterbacks past with Geno Smith returning to MetLife Stadium. Smith is the one who ends up seeing ghosts and the Jets intercept Smith three times, including a pick-six. The Jets run the winning streak to five, their first five-game winning streak since 2015.
Give ’em a win … Record: 8-4
Week 14: at Dolphins
The winning streak ends in South Florida. The Jets have not won a game in Miami since 2014, Rex Ryan’s final game as their coach. This will be a big game for playoff positioning, but the Jets lay an egg and lose a not-so-close one to Tua and Company.
Give ’em a loss … Record: 8-5
Week 15: at Jaguars
The Jets get back-to-back games in Florida — and it does not go well. Trevor Lawrence comes back to haunt the Jets, throwing three touchdowns to hand the Jets their second straight loss and put their playoff hopes in peril.
Give ’em a loss … Record: 8-6
Week 16: vs. Rams
The Jets get back on track at MetLife Stadium against the Rams and former Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. Their defense gets after Matthew Stafford and Rodgers torches the Aaron Donald-less Rams defense. This laugher revives the Jets’ playoff hopes.
Give ’em a win … Record: 9-6
Week 17: at Bills
The Jets’ hopes of winning the AFC East for the first time since 2002 end with this loss in freezing-cold Buffalo. The Bills win a defensive struggle when Allen runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Jets now enter the final week of the season needing a win to get an AFC Wild Card spot.
Give ’em a loss … Record: 9-7
Week 18: vs. Dolphins
This will be the biggest Jets game in MetLife Stadium history. Win and they’re in, and they … win. The Jets beat up the Dolphins to clinch a playoff spot and knock Miami out of the playoffs. It is a party in East Rutherford that Jets fans have been anticipating for years.
Give ’em a win …
Record: 10-7
Stat’s so
There are massive expectations for Rodgers this season with the Jets. Could he have an all-time game this year?
It feels like a good time to look at the passing yards list.
A false start?
The Haason Reddick situation seems as if it could hit a critical point next week.
The Jets end training camp this week and will be in regular-season mode next week. That could be a time when urgency develops for both sides.
Reddick will have missed all of training camp, but still could have two weeks to get ready for Week 1. The Jets are going to shift from roster evaluation to preparing for the 49ers, and it is clear they could use Reddick and his pass-rushing ability.
If his holdout gets past next week, it probably will stretch into the season, and then leverage will depend on how the Jets are playing. If the defense gets thrashed in San Francisco, Reddick suddenly has a lot of leverage.
