NY Jets projected to finish with a worse record in 2020

The NY Jets finished with a surprising 7-9 record in 2019, but recent ESPN projections have the team finishing with a worse record in 2020.

The NY Jets surprised a lot of people when they closed out the 2019 season with a 7-9 record after winning just one of their first eight games. It was a surprising end to what had been a disastrous season up until that point.

But could the Jets be set to finish the 2020 season with a worse record? One ESPN analyst seems to think so.

ESPN’s Mike Clay released his projections for the 2020 season including expected win totals, yardage estimates, and games in which each team is favored. And the Jets weren’t exactly given a ton of love.

Clay estimates the Jets’ win total at a lowly 5.8 games as he has them finishing in third place in the AFC East behind both the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. In fact, only a handful of teams are projected to win fewer games.

The Jets were given the fifth-lowest win total behind only the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, and Miami Dolphins.

And while their defense was slightly above average allowing 366 total points (22.88 points per game), their offense was ranked dead last with just 302 expected points for (18.88 points per game).

Post-draft 2020 NFL team projections and playoff teams + 2021 draft order. #ClayProjections pic.twitter.com/UxFbUPAGy7

— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) May 4, 2020

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Now, none of this should really come as a surprise.

The Jets hosted the No. 32 ranked offense in the NFL last season and while improvements have been made in the offseason, they might not be enough to catapult the team out of the league’s basement.

Not to mention that their schedule likely won’t help matters.

CBS listed the Jets as having the third-hardest schedule in the NFL this season with matchups against teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks awaiting them.

So despite their offseason improvements, the Jets’ schedule could ultimately hold them back.

Of course, we’re still a ways away from the start of the 2020 season. And rarely do things actually go according to plan.

Few saw the San Francisco 49ers even making the playoffs last season, yet they held a fourth-quarter lead in the Super Bowl by year’s end. And few saw teams like the Los Angeles Chargers or Chicago Bears being as bad as they were in 2019.

Things change — and maybe the Jets could prove everyone wrong.

But at initial glance, it may be difficult for the Jets to match their seven-win total from last season.

The NY Jets finished with a surprising 7-9 record in 2019, but recent ESPN projections have the team finishing with a worse record in 2020.

More from The Jet Press

Schedule