RL: Both my like and dislike are combined into one element of the Jets’ schedule. I may be reading into this, but it seems the NFL and its broadcast partners just gave up on the teams that struggled through last season. It used to be that the league would make sure every team received at least one primetime exposure, a Thursday night slot if nothing else. Last season four teams finished 3-14 and for their 2026 schedules, the NFL bestowed on the foursome a combined total of zero primetime games. Further, the Raiders with top pick Fernando Mendoza will get seven -Sunday-afternoon national starts at 4:25 p.m. Eastern, while the Cardinals will have five such national starts. For the Jets and Titans, no primetime, no national slots. All 1 p.m. or 4:05 (non-national late games). Of course, the league also has its flex option so if the Jets play well, they could still get a primetime start. As far as the “like” part of this equation, the Jets have to play the hand they’ve been dealt. They got the second overall pick for a reason, they got 16 Sunday afternoon games for a reason (not counting the season finale at Buffalo, kickoff officially TBD). So lie in the 1 p.m. .weeds, Jets and fans, enjoy the rare consistency of your schedule, then rise up each week and surprise the football world. That must be the plan.
JB: The guardians of the NFL schedule don’t think the Jets are ready for primetime — no night game for the first time since 2007, according to ESPN — all 17 are on a Sunday and all but two (4:05 p.m. Eastern at the Chargers and the Cardinals) will kickoff at 1 p.m. Eastern. Yet, my biggest takeaway may be the most obvious, one that’s hiding in plain sight — it’s imperative that the Green & White start winning games against their long-time AFC East opponents. This season, the Jets won’t face a division opponent — at New England on Oct. 18 — until Week 6. Again this season, the Patriots poached a former Jets O-lineman in free agency — Morgan Moses last year and Alijah Vera-Tucker this year. Need we point out that New England is coming off a trip to the Super Bowl and swept the Jets last season. Rebuilding Miami (no Tua, no Minkah, who’s now with the Jets) is one of four teams trying to rebound from a losing season under a new head coach, Jeff Hafley. The Jets will play back-to-back against the Pats and then the Dolphins in mid-October, then play at Miami in late November, a place they have not won since 2015, dropping 11 straight games. And for the second consecutive season, the Green & White will complete the road portion of the schedule at Buffalo … in January … at the Bills’ new home in Orchard Park, NY, Highmark Stadium. The Jets have not won at the Bills since 2019 . If HC Aaron Glenn hopes to begin to turn things around, it’s going to have to start in the Jets’ own backyard.