The New York Jets’ 2020 schedule has officially been solidified and it certainly isn’t looking as inviting as their 2019 schedule.
The New York Jets were blessed by the football gods —or the NFL’s scheduling algorithm, whatever your faith is — with a very favorable schedule in 2019. However, it’s safe to say that the team didn’t take full advantage of it.
And it appears as though they may not find the same luck next season.
With the conclusion of Week 16, the Jets’ 2020 schedule has officially been revealed and it does seem like the team may have a more challenging time next year.
Aside from their usual divisional split with the New England Patriots, the Jets will have to worry about some increased competition in the form of a much more difficult out-of-division schedule.
#Jets 2020 schedule is locked
Home
– New England– Buffalo– Miami – San Francisco – Arizona – Denver – Oakland– Cleveland
Away
– New England – Buffalo – Miami – Seattle– LA Rams – LA Chargers – Kansas City – Indy
— Joe Caporoso (@JCaporoso) December 22, 2019
The eight home games don’t seem particularly difficult but there’s obviously a tough matchup with the San Francisco 49ers awaiting the Jets next season. Gang Green draws the unenviable task of squaring off with the NFC West next season which obviously isn’t ideal.
Both the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have been fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the Los Angeles Rams may have underperformed this season, but they’re still an incredibly dangerous team.
And with an extra year to build around Kyler Murray, who knows what the Arizona Cardinals may look like next season.
That said, games against the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, and Cleveland Browns at home don’t scream “automatic loss” even if there’s reason to believe in brighter futures for each of those teams.
Where things really get difficult, however, is with the team’s road games.
The Jets will travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks in one of the most challenging places to play in the NFL and playing the Rams on the road isn’t great either.
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And with their AFC foes, the Jets will have to play the Chiefs in Kansas City and continue their West Coast tour with a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers. For context’s sake, the Jets didn’t leave the Eastern Time Zone once this season.
2020 will be a different story.
On the contrary, all but one of the team’s five non-divisional road games will require the Jets to travel outside of their time zone (Indianapolis Colts game) with three of the five coming on the West Coast.
Not only will their opponents likely be more challenging, but the traveling should be more intensive.
The Jets were fortunate in 2019, but they don’t appear to have found the same luck in 2020. Things like that always seem to balance out in the NFL.
Here’s to hoping that the Jets could find similar balancing with their awful injury luck from this season.