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Jets Pulse
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Jets 2019 Season Comes to a Close |
  
Just like that the Jets’ season has come to an end. We feel like we accomplished a lot this season and have turned the corner so to speak. The main goal was to make the playoffs and secure a contract extension for GM Mullendore - and in that the Jets were successful. But over the course of the second half of the season, the Jets found themselves playing really good football most weeks - in particular quarterback Carson Wentz - and expectations rose that the Jets may actually make some noise in the playoffs. This marked a dramatic shift from prior years where the quarterback, and team, faded and choked badly down the stretch. From week 8 to week 16 of this season the Jets went 7-2, and the two losses were close heartbreakers that the Jets felt they really should have, could have won. Over the same nine-game period, quarterback Wentz threw 18 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Also included in this stretch was a week thirteen victory over the same Tennessee Titans that just ended the Jets’ season - and the Jets actually beat the Titans fairly soundly in the first meeting (by 17 points until Titan KR touchdown on the final play). So there was some optimism headed into the divisional playoff game, but at the same time the Jets were realistic and knew it is very hard to beat a really good team twice in a season.
But the Jets’ confidence continued to grow after their 39-6 shellacking of the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round. The surging Jets defense held the Browns to just 153 total yards of Offense (including just 16 yards rushing) and two Field Goals. Jets HB Todd Gurley did not have a very good regular season by his standards, but he exploded against the Browns, carrying the rock 34 times for 213 yards (6.26avg) and three touchdowns.
The Jets definitely fought hard against the Titans, actually leading the game for much of the second, third, and fourth quarters. But a late pick-6 in the final two minutes by Tennessee cornerback Casey Hayward put the Titans in front with little time left on the clock. The big difference in this game was the battle between WR2 Mike Williams vs CB2 Jalen Collins. The first time the two teams met, Collins more than held his own with two interceptions (including a long pick-6) and two DFL. However, this time Mike Williams dominated the matchup with 155 receiving yards and a touchdown. Collins did not even log a DFL.
2019 SFL Awards/Nominations
LT Morgan Moses - Offensive Lineman of the Year
Pro Bowlers
FB Alex Ingold (Rookie)
LT Morgan Moses (All-Pro)
LG Ian SIlberman
DT Dalvin Tomlinson (All-Pro)
LOLB Jordan Jenkins (All-Pro)
CB Jalen Collins (All-Pro)
P Chris Fuchs (All-Pro)
League Top 10 Player Rankings
QB Carson Wentz - 28 Touchdown Passes (7th)
QB Carson Wentz - 3322 Passing Yards (14th)
HB Todd Gurley - 1622 Rushing Yards (6th)
WR Dezmon Briscoe - 12 Receiving Touchdowns (6th-tied)
LT Morgan Moses - 116 Pancakes (1st, 3rd All-Time)
RT Anthony Castonzo - 88 Pancakes (11th-tied)
CB Jalen Collins - 9 Interceptions (2nd-tied), 3 TDs (1st-tied)
K Wil Lutz - 39 Field Goals (3rd-tied)
Rookie Watch
FB Alex Ingold - 18 for 61 Rushing (3.39) 1TD, 11 for 116 Receiving (10.55), 51 Pancakes, 0 Sacks Allowed, Pro Bowl
CB Greedy Williams - 17 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble, 4 DFL, 7 CTHA
SS Donovan Wilson - 7 Tackles
Contract News
MLB B.J. Goodson - Although not expected to be official until later this week, word is that the Jets have reached an agreement with former 36th overall pick B.J. Goodson to remain in New York thru 2025. The six-year extension is expected to pay Goodson just over $28m in total, and includes a $1.03m bonus for the 2019 season just completed.
It also appears QB Carson Wentz has done enough to be the Jets’ quarterback going forward and has earned himself a nice payday! Contract talks are going on now and word is that both sides are anxious to get a deal done in the next couple of weeks. |
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Forum Discussion
(by K_Mullendore on 09/24/2024)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 11 |
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Jets News |
With their huge week 16 win over the rival New England Patriots, your New York Jets have clinched the AFC East for only the second time since 2008. The ramifications of this victory are huge and may mark a turning point in the Jets’ late-season misfortunes, maddenisms, collapses, and horrible luck of the last decade.
Early this morning, Jets’ majority owner Woody Johnson and GM Mullendore sat down over a cup of coffee and inked a two-year extension to Mullendore’s contract with the team. An incentive clause will add a third year to the deal, thru 2022, should the Jets make it through the playoffs to the Super Bowl this year. This is also a major shift, meaning Mullendore will enter 2020 without the pressure of the Hot Seat and will be able to make decisions that are in the long-term best interest of the team – not just saving his own job!
Depending on whether The Jets end up with the third or fourth seed in the AFC, they could host either the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, or Cincinnati Bengals – all of which would be a first-time opponent for this year. The last time the Jets made it to the playoffs in 2016 (their only appearance in more than a decade), it was the wild card Bengals that eliminated them. However, the Isaiah Stanback curse has since been lifted.
So how have the New York Jets managed to turn things around and avoid the typical late season collapse that has repeatedly landed them in the seventh seed? Part of it can be attributed to good health. Last season, HB Todd Gurley was lost for the last several games. Before that it was the bum QB Mark Sanchez. Star CB Derek Cox was traded following the 2015 season due his inability to stay healthy down the stretch in multiple years. But this season the Jets did not experience a major, long-term injury until this past week when WR Greg Little’s season prematurely came to an end. Part of it can also be attributed to the change in quarterback from two seasons ago. GM Mullendore has said for years that with an 80+ QBR quarterback, this was a playoff team – something that bum Sanchez could never accomplish. And it appears Mullendore was correct all along. But part of the Jets’ surge can also be attributed to players on both sides of the ball stepping up, and surprisingly Gurley has not been one of them (all stats below are through 15 games):
QB Carson Wentz
210 of 418 (50.24%) for 3200 yards (7.66YPA), 27 TDs, 9 INTs, 88.4QBR
Wentz has made significant strides in his fourth season. While many of his stats are not much different than a year ago, the BIG difference is his TD/INT ratio: 27/9 vs 16/13. Fewer mistakes and more clutch plays usually translates into wins, which it has this season. Take care of the football and your chance of winning increases significantly and Wentz’s improved decision making has helped the Jets to the second-best Turnover Differential (+13) in the league this season. This is a contract year for Wentz, but he has shown enough to earn a new contract and be the starting quarterback for the Jets for the next 6-7 years.
WR Dezmon Briscoe
66 for 1050 (15.91Avg), 12 TDs, 206 YAC
The Jets paid a high price to bring Briscoe in from the Lions prior to the 2017 season with the expectation that he would help that bum Sanchez get over the hump. Instead, Briscoe experienced his worst season as a pro in the final year of the Sanchez era. But Briscoe has rebounded this season with his best season since at least 2012. We’ve always liked Dezmon Briscoe and are thrilled he is getting another chance at a championship at 30yrs old. I only wish he would have joined our team sooner….
LT Morgan Moses
109 Pancakes, 1 Sack Allowed
Thru 15 games, Morgan Moses has already established a career high in Pancakes with 109, which ranks fifth all-time for a season. This is also his second season (2016) with more than 100 Pancakes – something only a handful of OL have accomplished in their careers (nobody has done it more than twice). With just two Pancakes in week 17, Moses’ season his total will move up to third place all-time for a season with 111+. Sacks on Jets’ quarterbacks are down over 30% this season, which is amazing considering the 9 given up by our awful Center J.D. Walton. Morgan Moses is a BIG reason for the substantial improvement in protection.
Honorable Mention (Offense):
WR Sammie Coates - While it’s hard to say Coates has made a huge impact as the #3/#4 wide receiver most games, he has stepped up big when called upon and made some big plays. With Greg Little now lost for week 17 and the playoffs, Coates should have an opportunity to prove he can handle a bigger role going forward.
CB Jalen Collins
51 Tackles, 3 TFL, 9 INTs, 27 DFL, 43 CTHA, 3 TDs
It has been quite a few years since the Jets have had a ball hawk in the secondary like Jalen Collins. His nine interceptions is tied for second place in the league, while his 3 pick-sixes it tied for first, and his 27 DFL is tied for ninth. If it wasn’t for the season CB Byron Jones had for the Lions, Collins would have likely received a lot more attention.
OLB Jordan Jenkins
52 Tackles, 12 TFL, 9 Sacks, 1 INT
Jordan Jenkins was the 45th overall pick of the 2016 draft and has steadily improved his game each season, culminating in his best season thus far in 2019. His combination of 12 TFL and 9 Sacks are easily best in the league for OLBs (though he was initially snubbed for award nomination, we will not bother with a token nomination). Still, Jenkins led the Jets in sacks and his five TFL in week one against the Redskins ties for fourth all-time in a game, making it three Jets now in the top five!
Honorable Mention (Defense):
SS Jordan Richards - Richards has really come on strong down the stretch run, with three interceptions in the last two games. If he can carry this play through the playoffs, it would be a huge boost to the defense and significantly increase the Jets’ chances of making a run. |
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Forum Discussion
(by K_Mullendore on 09/14/2024)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 12 |
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Jets Offseason Notes |
The Jets held an extended cornerback-only camp over the last few days while the rest of the team took a few days off leading up to preseason prep. Former Jets' legend and SB champ Charles Woodson led the drills and study. At the close of camp, all the young corners agreed with how impactful it was. The following players were re-graded by the coaches as a result:
CB Kevin King (+1 AWR, +1 CTH, +1 TAK)
The third-year corner is expected to move into a starting role in 2019. The former second-round pick has size (6'3"), speed (94), and a growing awareness (69) after spending time the past couple seasons around some truly great veteran mentors. The former 35th overall pick made the most of limited opportunities last season, intercepting two passes and returning one for a touchdown. King's performance will be one of the keys to a successful 2019 Jets season.
CB Jermaine Kelly (+1 AWR, +1 CTH, +1 TAK)
Kelly has tons of physical ability, with excellent size and speed. He just needs playing time and experience. Unfortunately, it's a crowded depth chart at cornerback for the Jets so they are looking for ways to get him reps any way they can. Kelly currently finds himself projected as the Jets #5 CB which has sent his morale down as of late.
CB Greedy Williams (R) (+1 AWR, +1 CTH, +1 TAK)
This year's rookie 4th round pick just wanted someone to give him a chance to show his size (6'3"), speed (92), hands (81), and football IQ (59AWR) more than offset his lack of burst and agility - and the Jets are going to give him an opportunity to prove it. By assigning Greedy to the extra training, bringing in veteran CB Michael Coe to mentor him, naming him the #4 CB day one, and more ways to come...the Jets are showing they are serious about helping Greedy succeed in the SFL. |
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Forum Discussion
(by K_Mullendore on 06/27/2024)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 12 |
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Jets Announce 2019 Projected Depth Chart |
Following all of the previously released transactions, the Jets have released their starting roster for 2019:
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Forum Discussion
(by K_Mullendore on 06/23/2024)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 16 |
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2019 Jets Offseason Notes (aka: Another Year on Hot Seat) |
Season Recap
Well, this is getting to be a broken record, but the New York Jets once again fell just short of the playoffs, losing out in week 17 via tiebreaker in a three-way tie with the Patriots and Bills, earning the seventh seed in the AFC once again. As a result, GM Mullendore will once again find himself on the hot seat for 2019. After a 7-4 start, the Jets would lose four of their last five games to finish 8-8. Extremely disappointing. So much so, Mullendore promptly left the country for a week to contemplate his future with the team. Ultimately, Mullendore will return for an eighteenth season as GM of the New York Jets.
Offseason Notes by Position
Following the return of GM Mullendore to his office just before the Super Bowl, he vowed to scrutinize every position on the team looking for any opportunity to improve or just shake up the status quo. On the offensive side of the ball, the only positions not due a shake up was Halfback and Kicker.
Quarterback - Carson Wentz had a solid season in his first as a full-time starter, though he does shoulder much of the blame for the Jets’ last three losses with QBR under 55 in each. Wentz finished the season with a QBR of 76.4, within two points of each of the three full seasons that Mark Sanchez produced with the Jets (and just three points less than Sanchez in 2018 with the Eagles). Wentz is entering a contract year in 2019. At just 26yrs old with AWR of 84 and THA of 93, all indications are he will be resigned and be the starting quarterback for the Jets for the next several seasons. Still, being on the hot seat for 2019, GM Mullendore did dangle him on the trade block for a more experienced signal caller, but only had a couple teams kick the tires on a potential deal. Though a trade at some point is still a possibility, the Jets are moving forward assuming it will be Wentz under center in 2019. There was a change at backup quarterback however. Ryan Mallet spent five seasons in that role and was one of the most reliable backups in the league during that time, actually outperforming both Sanchez and Wentz during the majority of that time. But with Mallet’s salary approaching $5m for 2019 at the age of 31, the Jets opted to sign former first round pick Sean Mannion in free agency and trade Mallet to the Buccaneers for a swap of third round picks. It appears E.J. Manuel will stay with the Jets for 2019, only because his cap penalty makes his release prohibitive. Signing Manuel was a mistake, and signing him to a five-year contract was a huge mistake (not sure what I was thinking at the time). Manuel will almost certainly be released next offseason when his cap penalty reduces to just over $2m.
Fullback - In his second season with the Jets, Kyle Juszczyk finished second in the league at FB with 72 Pancakes and helped pave the way for Gurley’s 1700+ yards and league-leading 5.21avg. But with final cuts approaching Juszczyk’s future remains in question - even more so after the Jets used a third round pick on a talented rookie FB. Not to mention Juszczyk just turned 30yrs old. The Jets still need to cut about $5m in cap space and Juszczyk’s $3.22m salary seems to be a prime candidate, especially if he takes on more of a backup role in 2019. The Jets spent some time pursuing a veteran, regressing TE to fill the role, but the asking price was prohibitive. Instead, the Jets actually drafted two Fullbacks this year: Alex Ingold at 3.9 and Cullen Gillaspia at 7.21. While Ingold looks to be the long-term starter at the position, possibly as early as this season, Gillaspia’s only chance for making the team was as a draft gem - which the Jets will never have so this was basically a wasted pick, was not even signed. So it appears the starter at FB looks to be one of the last decisions to be made this offseason.
Wide Receiver - The Jets are happy with their quartet from last year, but the top three all turned 30yrs old this year and are on the books for a combined $14.87m in salary - still combined less than Darren Waller and have performed just as well, but regression hitting them all at once is going to start to be a problem. This is especially true for Travis Benjamin who has relied so much on his speed to get open. Combined with the fact that the Jets have used a predominately run-oriented offense and lined up TE Evan Ingram at WR#3 at times, and it sure appears that Benjamin will be the odd man out for 2019. As a replacement, the Jets turned to free agent signing Sammie Coates. The Jets have had their eye on Coates for three years, nearly paying a 2nd round pick for him at one time. But by the time they were ready to make the move for him - which cost the Jaguars a 3rd round pick for one year of service - he was on the final year of his contract. Now, Coates will finally join the team he longed to play for all along, though it may be too late for him to ever develop into a star. Rounding out the receiving group is role player Justin Hardy. He’s never had more than 45 yards receiving in a game and has never scored a receiving touchdown, though he did have a kickoff return touchdown in 2017 and has been a decent special teams player. But with a salary for 2019 over $3m, Hardy still might not make the team if the Jets can find a cheaper option that is just as good. N’Keal Harry was drafted at WR in the sixth round but is as slow as advertised and was not even signed.
Center - Peter Konz has been a stabilizing force in the middle of the offensive line since his free agent signing prior to the 2016 season after spending his first four seasons all starting for the New Orleans Saints. The Jets would have loved to have him back for the 2019 season, but he was scheduled to make over $6m this season. Fortunately, the Jets were able to sign another Center in this year’s free agency that is nearly as good as Konz in J.D. Walton. Although Walton is on the wrong side of 30yrs old (31), he is still fairly athletic and has a lot of experience as a starter, including six of the last seven seasons for the Indianapolis Colts. The transition should be made even easier given Walton and Wentz’s time together in Indianapolis. There is a good chance this will be Walton’s only season starting in New York, but a second season is not an impossibility. Behind Walton, rookie third round pick Garrett Bradberry will likely be the primary backup for this season. Last year’s depth signing Bill Nagy will take up a roster spot for another year due to his cap penalty being more than the savings from cutting him.
Guard/Tackle - At this point, it appears that there will be no changes to the starting offensive tackles for 2019, Moses and Castonzo. The Jets did consider offers received for Castonzo, and also considered moving him to RG and either acquiring a new RT or starting Rankin a year earlier than planned. But ultimately it was decided to leave the two solid bookends alone for the coming year - which will be Castonzo's last in New York. Instead, all of the player movement and changes revolve around the two offensive guard positions. First order of business was resigning LG Silberman if at all possible. We assumed he would receive some interest despite not having the best blocking techniques, and he did. But that also kept his price down and we were able to convince him to return to New York on a fair deal. Silberman will be the Jets LG for the next five seasons. That left RG as the big question mark. Stingley has been the starter for the last six years, but he just turned 31yrs, is in the final year of his contract with an elevated salary, and has never really played up to his attributes. It was time for a change and the Jets sent Stingley to the Panthers for a 7th round pick. But if Castonzo didn’t move to fill the void, there really was no replacement on the roster. After a few failed trade and free agent signing attempts, a trade fell into the Jets’ lap in Center Peter Konz to the Chargers for LG Joe Dahl. The problem is Dahl is in the final year of his contract as well, but the he also only 24yrs so the Jets have decided to move him to RG and if he performs well as expected, the Jets will make it a priority to resign him next offseason to a new long-term deal. With Rankin stepping in next year at RT, these moves will solidify all four Guard/Tackle starters for the next several years.
Most people assumed, given a Jets Defense that ranked #1 much of the year, the majority of changes would be on offense. But apparently GM Mullendore wasn't pleased with the defense either as only the Middle Linebackers were safe.
Defensive Tackle - The clear leader on the Jets’ defensive line is veteran stud DT Sylvester Williams. He is the only 80/90/86 DT in the league and it’s not even close. He’s also the only DL period with those attributes over 300lbs, and also has 79AGI. Even at 29yrs old he is not going anywhere anytime soon. Dalvin Tomlinson actually bests all of Williams’ attributes except SPD, but spent the entire 2018 season as a 3-4 RE. Chris Jones was last season’s #2 DT, but he just turned 31 with a high salary which ended up resulting in his release. Last season’s #3 DT, Morgan Fox, was a long-term tweener project that realistically was never going to get an opportunity or be retained past his rookie contract. Thus, Fox was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 4th Round Pick. This left Williams and Tomlinson as the only DTs on the roster, with a very real possibility of Tomlinson being moved full-time to RE. So the Jets aggressively pursued both their top DT free agent target, Michael Bennett, as well as talented backup, Rodney Gunter. Surprisingly, Bennett was only being courted by one other team while Gunter was uncontested. The plan for Bennett is to start at #2 DT whenever Tomlinson plays outside at RE, which could be often. Plus, the Jets did not know until the end of the match/decline phase if they won another RE free agent, and if they didn’t Tomlinson would make the permanent change.
Defensive End - Last year’s 1st round pick, LE Sam Hubbard, had a solid rookie season, getting edged out by DROY nominee B.J. Hill as the “DE representative.” Hubbard looks to be the real deal and should be the Jets’ LE for the foreseeable future, especially given his ability to produce in any scheme. However, as mentioned above in the DT review, the RE position was in question, as there was talk that Tomlinson may stay at DT should the Jets not sign Bennett and play more 4-3 alignments in 2019. There were three or four DEs in free agency that got a lot interest from many teams. As things unfolded, the Jets broke off talks with both Dante Fowler and Markus Golden (who the Jets would have won but didn’t like as much), opting instead to pursue the match eligible Mario Edwards. Edwards did ultimately sign with the Jets, which will cost them their 3rd round pick in 2020. This leaves the Jets with what they believe is one of, if not the best, DL in the league, with Hubbard, Williams, Tomlinson and Bennett/Edwards. The primary goal in changing up the defensive line was to get more pressure on the quarterback - something they were not great at last season despite their high defensive rankings for points and yards allowed.
Outside Linebacker - The Jets are actually happy with their OLBs, but Bradham’s salary ($6.58m) and age (29yrs) necessitated a hard look at possibly replacing him. The fact that 2017 3rd round pick Ryan Anderson is also talented but has gotten little playing time behind Bradham made the decision even harder. Ultimately, the Jets appear to have found a way out of their huge salary cap hole without having to let Bradham go in the process. There are still one or two cuts to be made, but it doesn’t look like Bradham will be involved at this point. No free agency signings, trades, or draft choices were used on OLBs - another indication the linebacker group will maintain the status quo from 2018.
Safety - With former draft gem SS Jordan Richards as their match eligible designated player, the Jets were somewhat concerned they were going to lose him or be required to pay a hefty salary to retain him which would add to their cap woes. The Jets paid a 2nd+3rd round picks to acquire Richards a year earlier, so were in a serious debate whether they would match 2nd round compensation as that seemed a likely possibility. First round compensation (and the corresponding salary) would have almost certainly forced the Jets to decline, but less would have been a difficult decision. The Jets dealt with this anxiety for a few days after the Cardinals met with Richards and submitted an offer sheet. But in the end, the Jets were shocked and pleasantly surprised when it was revealed that Arizona had submitted a fairly low offer, with only 4th round compensation. There was no hesitation in the matching of the offer, which was fine with Richards as he never wanted to leave and go to Arizona anyway. This solidified both safety positions for the coming season, although the Jets did draft FS Donovan Wilson with pick 5.5. Wilson isn’t the “gem” the Jets were hoping for, but he actually will be a fine backup.
Cornerback - Following the end of last season, veteran mentor corner DeAngelo Hall announced his retirement from the SFL. As a result, the Jets began the offseason with six cornerbacks on their roster, signed one in free agency, and drafted three more - giving them a total of ten on their roster at the end of the draft. However, the focus on the CB position was more about change than it was about tough decisions. Two of the three corners drafted (6.6 DeAndre Baker, 7.1 Corey Ballentine) were draft gem flyers that were not even signed. The other two veteran cornerbacks from last season (Prince Amukamara and Devin McCourty) were both released. The two new CBs on the roster for the 2019 season are free agent veteran Michael Coe and rookie 4th round pick Greedy Williams. Coe was signed strictly to be a mentor this season as the only CB on the team more than 27yrs old. Greedy is an interesting prospect, with several off-the-charts attributes, both good and bad. Expect Collins, King, and Benwikere to see most of the snaps at cornerback in 2019 with Greedy, Jermaine Kelly, and even Yancy sprinkled in as well.
Up Next: The Draft, Training Camp, and Preseason |
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Forum Discussion
(by K_Mullendore on 06/19/2024)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 10 |
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At A Glance
| AFC East |
| RNK |
TEAM |
W-L-T |
PCT |
DIV |
| #10 |
 y-Bills |
8-8-0 |
0.500 |
4-2 |
| #19 |
 Jets |
8-8-0 |
0.500 |
3-3 |
| #20 |
 Patriots |
8-8-0 |
0.500 |
2-4 |
| #23 |
 Dolphins |
7-9-0 |
0.438 |
3-3 |
| JETS SCHEDULE |
| Preseason |
| WK |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
SCOUT/RESULT |
| P1 |
Thu |
at  Steelers #22 |
|
| P2 |
Thu |
at  Ravens #15 |
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| P3 |
Sat |
vs  Giants #13 |
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| P4 |
Fri |
vs  Eagles #29 |
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| Regular Season |
| 1 |
Mon |
vs Ravens #15 |
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| 2 |
Sun |
vs Patriots #20 |
|
| 3 |
Sun |
at Dolphins #23 |
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| 4 |
Sun |
at Bills #10 |
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| 5 |
Mon |
vs  Vikings #2 |
|
| 6 |
Sun |
at  Broncos #31 |
|
| 8 |
Sun |
vs  Packers #30 |
|
| 9 |
Sun |
at  Lions #8 |
|
| 10 |
Sun |
at  Browns #17 |
|
| 11 |
Sun |
vs  Texans #6 |
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| 12 |
Thu |
vs  Bengals #24 |
|
| 13 |
Mon |
at Patriots #20 |
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| 14 |
Sun |
vs Dolphins #23 |
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| 15 |
Sun |
at Steelers #22 |
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| 16 |
Sun |
at  Bears #9 |
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| 17 |
Sun |
vs Bills #10 |
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