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New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith warming up ahead of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills.
Christmas has finally arrived.
The full 2026 NFL schedule has been released by the New York Jets’ social media team. We have known the opponents for months, but we haven’t known the order of the games, the bye weeks, or the difficulties of which games were strung together.
1st Quarter of the Jets Schedule Breakdown
Week 1: at the Tennessee Titans
A winnable game that will have plenty of extracurricular storylines fueled by revenge on both sides.
Week 2: vs the Green Bay Packers
A perennial playoff team, at least you’re playing them at home. This will be a stiff challenge for the green and white.
Week 3: at the Detroit Lions
Another NFC North team in a row? What did the Jets do to piss off the football Gods? Aaron Glenn, facing off against his old team, will occupy plenty of real estate leading up to this contest. Has the student (Glenn) learned from the master (Dan Campbell)? We will soon find out.
Week 4: at the Chicago Bears
You have got to be kidding me. Three straight NFC North opponents in the first month of the season? The Jets better buckle their chinstraps for these slobber knockers.
2nd Quarter of the Jets Schedule Breakdown
Week 5: vs the Cleveland Browns
After a rough start to the season, things suddenly get more manageable in the second quarter. A winnable game to start this subsection.
Week 6: at the New England Patriots
The clearest path to the playoffs is by winning your division. Easier said than done in the AFC East. The Patriots are a couple of months removed from the Super Bowl.
Week 7: vs the Miami Dolphins
Back-to-back AFC East contests in October. Miami should present a far different challenge than the Patriots in terms of difficulty.
Week 8: vs the Las Vegas Raiders
Oh, what could have been. The Jets were an extra win or some different tiebreakers from landing the No. 1 overall pick, but alas. Who will be playing in this game? Kirk Cousins? Fernando Mendoza? We will have to wait and see.
3rd Quarter of the Jets Schedule Breakdown
Week 9: at the Kansas City Chiefs
This is one of the most difficult stretches of the season for the Jets. While the Chiefs are coming off a bad year, Patrick Mahomes should be fully recovered by this point of the season.
Week 10: vs the Buffalo Bills
Yikes. Bills and the Chiefs in back-to-back weeks? Two former MVP quarterbacks? Aaron Glenn’s superpower of calling defensive plays will certainly be challenged here.
Week 11: at the Los Angeles Chargers
One of the few West Coast trips the Jets will have to make this season. No rest for the weary.
Week 12: at the Miami Dolphins
Back-to-back road trips for the Jets, jumping from one coast to the other. The good news is this game is in late November, so the normal hot Miami weather won’t be a factor.
4th Quarter of the Jets Schedule Breakdown
Week 13: Bye Week
As far as bye weeks go, you could do a lot worse. This is deep in the season, which is a little later than what some NFL teams typically prefer.
Week 14: vs the Denver Broncos
This will be the seventh straight year the Jets have faced the Broncos. One of the strangest scheduling quirks in recent memory.
Week 15: at the Arizona Cardinals
A winnable game for the Jets with plenty of former Jets involved, with Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett joining forces.
Week 16: vs the New England Patriots
What will the Patriots be fighting for at this point in the season? Could they be resting starters with their position secured? Maybe.
Week 17: vs the Minnesota Vikings
A quarterback target that was often discussed for the Jets was Kyler Murray. It’s a total mystery how he is going to mix with the Vikings. An old face in a new place.
Week 18: at the Buffalo Bills
- Time and date to be determined
The Jets have a weird affinity for ending every season in Buffalo. This one of course will be at their brand new stadium to end the regular season.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
