NY Jets: Game-by-game breakdown of the 2020 schedule

NY Jets (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The NFL released the schedule for all 32 NFL teams on Thursday night. Take a look at a breakdown of the NY Jets matchups this season.

On Thursday, the NFL released the regular-season schedule for the 2020 NFL season. We’ve known the NY Jets opponents since the end of the 2019 season, but now everything from order to game times is set in stone.

I was somewhat worried about the opponents when I first saw them. The Jets out-of-division foes this season are the NFC and AFC West, along with games against the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts that were decided by where the Jets finished in the standings.

It’s easy to break down opponents and try to pinpoint winnable and losable games, but now that we know exactly when the Jets will face off against each opponent, it brings everything more into focus.

The games against the West Coast teams in each conference are arguably the hardest they’ll have this season. From the Kansas City Chiefs to the San Francisco 49ers, there are some really tough opponents on the Jets 2020 schedule.

I wanted to take an in-depth look at where the Jets will travel this year and who they’ll play. Being able to take into account travel and the easy and tough stretches of opponents they’ll have will give us a better idea about how the season may play out when looking forward to September.

I won’t be making any predictions and will try to stray away from calling games winnable and losable. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. We have no clue how the season is going to play out.

We just have to take it one week at a time and hope for the best.

Next: 1. Weeks 1-4

NY Jets (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Week 1: @ Buffalo

September 13th, 1:00 PM

The Jets open the 2020 season at Orchard Park against the Buffalo Bills. This is the second straight season the team will start the year against the Bills, and the hope has to be that things go better than they did in last year’s opener.

It’s always nice starting things off with a division rival, but going into Buffalo won’t be easy. We’ll see how the third saga of Sam Darnold vs. Josh Allen goes.

Week 2: vs San Francisco

September 20th, 1:00 PM

The Jets home opener this season is against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. Another tough matchup to start the year, the team will certainly be tested by the Niners on both sides of the ball.

Led by Jimmy Garoppolo on offense and Nick Bosa on defense, the 49ers are a scary matchup. They’ll be a good early test for this Jets team.

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Week 3: @ Indianapolis

September 27th, 4:05 PM

The team heads to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in Week 3 this season. It won’t be against the familiar face of Andrew Luck, however. Instead, the Jets defense will be tested by newly-signed Philip Rivers and a potent Colts offense.

A few defensive backs will be making their return to Indianapolis after spending time there in the last few seasons, like Quincy Wilson and Pierre Desir.

Week 4: vs Denver

(Thursday) October 1st, 8:20 PM

The Jets first of two primetime games this season will be at home against the Denver Broncos. We’ll see what could be the first of several matchups between Sam Darnold and Drew Lock.

This is also a much different Broncos team than the one that came into MetLife Stadium two years ago. With the departure of cornerback Chris Harris and the addition of wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, we’ll see how the Jets match-up against the first of four AFC West opponents.

Next: 2. Weeks 5-8

NY Jets (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

Week 5: vs Arizona

October 11th, 1:00 PM

In the Jets’ first game against a guy many fans wanted to be Todd Bowles‘ successor, the Jets face off against the Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. It’s going to be a tough test for the Jets’ defense.

Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray established a lethal air raid offense in their first year together, and it’s bound to be even better this season. I’m excited to see what Gregg Williams and company dial up against the Cardinals.

Week 6: @ Los Angeles Chargers

October 18th, 4:05 PM

In the first of two stops, the Jets will make at the brand new SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, the team takes on another tough opponent in the Chargers. Whether the familiar face in Tyrod Taylor or rookie Justin Herbert is at the helm, the Jets will face a team that can’t be taken lightly.

Their offense has elite potential and their defense has gotten production from all over the field in the last few years. Some may look at their 2019 record and think of it as an easy win, but it’s far from it.

The Jets will have to come to play in LA.

Week 7: vs Buffalo

October 25th, 1:00 PM

The Jets face the Bills for the second time before they see the rest of the AFC East. Whether it be in Buffalo or at MetLife, the Bills come to play.

Hopefully when the time comes, the team will have already beaten Buffalo once on the season, so they can go into this game with a little more confidence. Nonetheless, the games are always competitive when the Bills come to East Rutherford.

Week 8: @ Kansas City

November 1st, 1:00 PM

This, in my opinion, is the Jets’ toughest game on the 2020 schedule. They travel to Kansas City to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs in Week 8. There’s almost too much to talk about in regards to how big of a test this game will be for the Green and White.

Whether it be the top-of-the-league offense the Chiefs have or having to go into Arrowhead Stadium, it’s going to be a tough one. Adam Gase and the rest of the Jets coaches and staff will have to prepare extra hard for this game.

Next: 3. Weeks 9-12

NY Jets (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Week 9: vs New England

(Monday) November 9th, 8:15 PM

The Jets have a second straight Monday Night Football slate against the Patriots this year. I could go into how this year’s game can’t go worse than how last year went, but you already know that. Instead, I’ll pinpoint that these are two entirely different teams then they were a year ago.

Tom Brady is gone, the Jets offensive line, a major weakness in that game, has improved. And Sam Darnold has certainly learned from that horrifying performance in primetime last season. Here’s to hoping the Jets can finish off a really tough stretch of football with a win.

Week 10: @ Miami

November 15th, 4:05 PM

The Jets will travel to South Florida for a Week 10 matchup with the division rival Miami Dolphins. The Jets lost in Miami last year and had an all-around iffy game against the Dolphins.

We could see our first chapter of Tua Tagovailoa vs. Sam Darnold, or we could face a familiar face in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Whether it be the highly-touted rookie or the established veteran, this is a game the Jets need to win when looking at the rest of their schedule post-Week 10.

Week 11: BYE

The Jets’ bye this year is in Week 11. It’s a bit of a late bye, but with the stretch of games the team will have after it, it may serve a good purpose. They’ll face an extremely familiar opponent following Week 11.

Week 12: vs Miami

November 29th, 1:00 PM

Right out of the bye, the Jets will face the Miami Dolphins once again, this time at home. I can’t wrap my head around how whatever algorithm the NFL uses for schedule creation came up with this, but whatever works I suppose.

Hopefully the team will be coming off a win in Miami and will be well-rested following their Week 11 bye. Last season, the team won on a last-second field goal from Sam Ficken.

Here’s hoping that this one isn’t as close as last year’s.

Next: 4. Weeks 13-17

NY Jets (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images).

Week 13: vs Las Vegas

December 6th, 1:00 PM

The Jets face the Raiders at home for a second straight season this year, this time, the opponent won’t be from Oakland however. For the first time, the Las Vegas Raiders will march into MetLife Stadium, certainly hoping for a better outcome than last year’s.

The Jets trounced the Raiders at home last season, winning a decisive 34-3 game. The offense and defense shined and one can only hope that the same thing happens this go around as well.

One huge test will be containing speedy rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs, who the Raiders selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Week 14: @ Seattle

December 13th, 4:05 PM

The Jets’ next stretch of games isn’t favorable and will be a huge late-season test. Any time you have to travel to Seattle and play as the road team in CenturyLink Field, it’s going to be tough.

Arguably the toughest opponent the Jets will have besides the Chiefs, the Seahawks have firepower on both sides of the ball, and the conditions certainly won’t be favorable as well.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Sam Darnold and the offense handle themselves in such a tough environment.

Week 15: @ Los Angeles Rams

December 19th or 20th, Time TBD

There’s no date or time set in stone for the Jets’ West Coast matchup with the Rams, as playoff implications will have a say in whether the Jets play on Saturday or Sunday. This will be the second trip to the new SoFi Stadium for the team.

A lot can be said about Jared Goff and his performance last season, but no matter what, this is another tough matchup for New York. Sean McVay is as good as they get when it comes to game-planning and play-calling, and the Rams defense has star power from front to back.

Another big West Coast test for the Jets and the hope is that they’re either fighting to stay in the playoffs, or fighting to get in.

Week 16: vs Cleveland

December 26th or 27th, Time TBD

In Week 16, the Jets play the Browns for what seems like the 100th time in a row. The two have seen each other frequently over the last five years, and the last two decisions have both gone to Cleveland.

Both primetime games — one was Sam Darnold’s first meeting with Baker Mayfield, and the other was a less than exciting Monday Night Football game at MetLife last season.

We didn’t really get to see what Darnold could do at home against the Browns, as he was sidelined with mononucleosis for their Week 2 matchup. On paper, the Browns are an elite team from top to bottom, and can’t be taken lightly.

Week 17: @ New England

January 3rd, 1:00 PM

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Jets will head to Foxborough and play the Patriots without Tom Brady under center, in what will be the team’s second meeting with Bill Belichick and the Pats.

The optimist in me wants to see James Morgan start for the Jets with backups scattered around him because the team has already clinched a playoff berth, but I think that would be overly optimistic.

My only hope is that the team can be competitive in a place they’re known to lay down in.

As I said, I won’t make predictions on how this Jets season will go. In all honesty, I’m really just rooting for us to be able to be in the stands cheering on our Green and White. Until then, I hope that this can be some sort of guide for those fretting over our 2020 schedule.

It won’t be an easy season, but this isn’t a lousy Jets team. They have talent at plenty of positions and are in a good position to be competitive in these games.