2013 New York Jets Schedule: Early Thoughts/Analysis

Dec 9, 2012; Jacksonville FL, USA; New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) celebrates sacking Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne (not pictured) in the third quarter of their game at EverBank Field. The New York Jets beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a great feeling when the schedule is released, is it not? Just when we are starting to feel deprived of football, the schedule comes out. Then, the flood gates open, as we move onto the draft, minicamp, and before we know it, summer is here, and training camp. But the point where it really begins is the announcement of the schedule. It’s great.

If you missed our post of the schedule from earlier tonight, check it out here.

I am not going to get into predicting wins/losses, because rosters are nowhere near finalized yet.  We’ll get into that as training camp approaches.

Tonight, we are going to take a look at the schedule, note interesting trends, potentially key points, …etc.  So, let’s get to it.

First of all, the schedule makers have an interesting sense of irony, scheduling the Jets to face Tampa Bay week one.  Will Darrelle be facing the Jets?  Will this game be a game of increased rivalry due to the on again, off again trade talks?  It just makes this opener a bit more interesting.

As of the initial schedule, we see our Jets only twice in primetime.  This can change of course, due to flex scheduling, but as of now, it’s only two games.  No surprise, and this could be a good thing.  The Jets don’t need any unnecessary attention drawn to them.  With 10 1 PM starts, the team can focus on the familiar start time, and the media can aver their eyes from “the circus” for a while.

The Jets finish up in Miami week 17. We have seen how that can go the wrong direction for us. Hopefully it won’t be a reminder of 2011.

Ironically, in a year that could become the “Rex Ryan watch” year pretty quickly, the Jets make several stops with former colleagues of Rex’s. Dates against Mike Smith, Marvin Lewis, Mike Pettine, his brother Rob, and his former team mark a full-fledged Rex Ryan reunion tour. Week 12 against Baltimore could ironically be huge as well, as a culmination of the tour and when the Rex Ryan watch might peak.

Again, I am not going to start predicting wins and losses yet, but the schedule is interesting to me. The Jets’ opponents recorded an aggregate winning percentage of .496, giving the Jets the 19th toughest schedule in the league. However, when you break the schedule down, there are really no “soft” parts in the schedule. Take a look, as we break it down by quarter,1st quarter(TB, at New England, Buffalo, at Tenn)2nd quarter(at Atlanta, Pitt, New England, at Bengals)3rd quarter(New Orleans, at Buffalo, at Baltimore, Miami)4th quarter(Oakland, at Carolina, Cleveland, at Miami)

No, there are no impossible games to win on this schedule, but are there any soft spots? Are they any spots in this schedule that you feel good about, if the Jets are going well, that they could run off 3-4 wins in a row, maybe more? Not me. I don’t see a spot in this schedule that is soft at all.

This league is a league of parity, it’s what makes it great. Any team can win on any given Sunday. It’s just interesting to note a pretty balanced, not that easy of a schedule for a team that just finished 6-10.

We’ll talk more about the schedule as the season gets closer.