The New York Jets went into last season with Super Bowl aspirations. Everything went immediately south only four offensive plays into their season, as Aaron Rodgers — their star offseason acquisition and the player who was supposed turn the franchise around — tore his Achilles.
Rodgers will be back in 2024, though, and he has a solid team around him. New York will surely improve off the seven games that they won last year, but we wanted to predict their overall record. The NFL just released the Jets’ 2024 schedule, so we went game-by-game to predict which games the Jets will win and which games they will lose.
Week 1 @ San Francisco 49ers (Monday Night Football)
Aaron Rodgers returns on Monday Night Football a year after tearing his Achilles on Monday Night Football. While they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl last year, the 49ers are returning the better part of what was arguably the deepest roster in the league last year. With so many stars in their starting lineup, it is unlikely that San Francisco will lose more than a couple of games this season, and the Jets will likely be outmatched in this one and have Rodgers’ return spoiled. Let’s just hope he doesn’t suffer another season-ending injury in Week 1.
Loss
Week 2 @ Tennessee Titans
Will Levis had some big moments as a rookie, and he will now be the Titans’ full-time starter. Still, he is young and inexperienced, and the Jets’ defense could be in for a big day in Tennessee. Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed form one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL, and the team has the pass rushers to force Levis to make quick decisions.
Win
Week 3 vs. New England Patriots (Thursday Night Football)
With Jason Peters on the open market still, Aaron Rodgers is slated to be the oldest active NFL player. While it is usually a young man’s game, there is something to be said about someone sticking around in the league for so long. Rodgers’ experience can only be viewed a good thing, and he should have a great season cerebrally because of it. Drake Maye is only 21 years old, and he was one of the youngest players in the 2024 NFL Draft. His skill set is still somewhat raw, too, so Rodgers’ wisdom should prevail over the raw talent of New England’s youngster.
Win
Week 4 vs. Denver Broncos
Sean Payton has an idea of how he wants the Broncos to play football, but it may still take a couple of years until they are ready to compete. Unless Bo Nix has a monster rookie season, the Broncos will likely struggle enough to assume that the Jets should have a good chance of winning this game.
Win
Week 5 @ Minnesota Vikings (London)
Aaron Rodgers tended to get the better of everyone in his division during his time in the NFC North. He is no longer a divisional rival with the Vikings, but there will surely still be some bad blood when the Jets go to Minnesota. We don’t think Rodgers will add another win over Minnesota to his resume. Instead, we think Justin Jefferson has a big day against New York on the other side of the pond.
Loss
Week 6 vs. Buffalo Bills (Monday Night Football)
Even though Buffalo had to move on from some of their biggest named stars on defense because of cap concerns, most of the veterans they released/let walk in free agency were aging and not as talented as they once were. Players like Ed Oliver and Greg Rousseau are still young and will still wreak havoc for Buffalo’s front seven.
The Jets need to keep Rodgers upright this season, and they invested heavily in the offensive line this offseason. The team’s first draft pick was Olu Fashanu, they signed Tyron Smith, and they traded for Morgan Moses. The line will be put to the test against the Bills, and if it holds up, Rodgers should be able to thrive.
Win
Week 7 @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday Night Football)
Pittsburgh is never an easy place to go to and come out with a win. Led by Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have not had a losing season for 17 straight years. Tomlin coaches the team to wins in close games, and he can do so against the Jets.
Loss
Week 8 @ New England Patriots
The Patriots are no longer the dynasty they once were, and the Bills and Dolphins lost a number of key contributors in free agency. That means the AFC East is up for grabs, and sweeping the series against New England would be super helpful in New York’s quest to win the division.
Win
Week 9 vs. Houston Texans (Thursday Night Football)
C.J. Stroud just had one of the best rookie seasons ever. Unless he undergoes a sophomore slump, he is likely to improve even more in year two. Aaron Rodgers’ best days, on the other hand, are in the rearview mirror. It is possible that Rodgers has a great season. He won back-to-back MVP awards as recently as 2020 and 2021, and I wouldn’t count out a Pro Bowl nod or Comeback Player of the Year caliber season from the future Hall of Famer.
A 40-year-old coming off of what some consider to be the worst injury in sports is a scary thought, though, and it is possible the Jets’ season will flop because of it. Based on reports of him nearly returning late last season, we think Rodgers will be okay, but we are still going to give the nod to the younger quarterback in Week BLANK.
Loss
Week 10 @ Arizona Cardinals
Like the Jets, the Cardinals should improve with a full season from their starting quarterback. Kyler Murray doesn’t have the pieces around him that Aaron Rodgers does, though, and Arizona’s defense isn’t nearly as good as New York’s group. The Cardinals likely won’t be a good team, and this will be one of the easiest games on the Jets’ schedule.
Win
Week 11 vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sunday Night Football)
The Jets’ non-divisional home schedule isn’t filled with many bottom dwellers, nor any top teams. Instead, they will face beatable but challenging teams in the Colts, Rams, and Seahawks. Winning at least two of those games will put them in a good position to make the playoffs. In our predictions, they do get one of those wins here in Week BLANK.
Win
Week 12 — Bye
The Jets get a late-season bye week before the calendar turns to December.
Week 13 vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks game is far from a surefire win for the Jets, but New York has enough talent that they should be able to squeeze by at home. The Jets not having to travel to Denver, Seattle, or Los Angeles is super helpful for their season outlook.
Win
Week 14 @ Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have one of the best home-field advantages in football. Their sideline is shaded, while opponents suffer in the blistering heat. This game will happen in December, but the Jets still won’t come away with a win.
Loss
Week 15 @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars disappointed by missing the postseason last year, but the future is still bright in Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence seems destined to break out in 2024, and the team has filled out the roster with a number of big free agent signings in recent seasons. We are marking this down as a loss for the Jets in Week 15.
Loss
Week 16 vs. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are a tough team to gauge. They aren’t far removed from a Super Bowl victory, but most of that team is gone. Most notably, the team will be without Aaron Donald this year due to the megastar’s retirement. Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp still play for the team, though, and Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua have since joined the team and emerged as stars. This game could go either way, but we give the edge to the Jets because of their incredible defense.
Win
Week 17 @ Buffalo Bills
While it is unknown how Aaron Rodgers will look next season after coming off a major injury, it is undeniable that he is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league. In fact, we had him ranked as the fifth-best quarterback in the league coming into last season. Josh Allen is also one of the best signal-callers in football, though. In fact, he might be the best one not named Patrick Mahomes. Both of these quarterbacks can thrive in the cold, but we think Allen will get the job done in Buffalo.
Loss
Week 18 vs. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins’ offense is stacked, but so is the Jets’ defense. Many have thought the Jets were a quarterback away from contending for years, and with Aaron Rodgers healthy, the defense will only further thrive. They will be challenged against the Dolphins, but Quinnen Williams, Haason Reddick, C.J. Mosley, and Sauce Gardner can neutralize last year’s yards-per-game leaders. The Gardner vs. Tyreek Hill matchup will be a lot of fun to watch to close out the regular season, and this game could feature some serious playoff stakes.
Win
Record: 10-7
