NY Jets Roundtable: Final record predictions for the 2020 season

We give our NY Jets’ predictions for the 2020 season now just a couple of days away from kickoff.

The NY Jets are just two days away from kicking off their 2020 season. An unusual offseason has come and gone and we’re just about 48 hours from the start of what is sure to be an equally unusual regular season.

After somehow pulling off a 7-9 season a year ago, many Jets fans have the playoffs on their minds as the team looks to snap its near-decade-long postseason drought.

But it might take more than an expanded playoff field for the Jets to truly push for a playoff spot.

The reality is that few teams enter the 2020 season with lower expectations than the Jets. The roster, as a whole, still has its fair share of weaknesses, the coaching staff has a lot to prove, and their schedule won’t do them any favors.

There are reasons to doubt the Jets in 2020, but as we’ve seen in the past, anything could happen in this sport. Who saw the Jets finishing 6-2 last year after a 1-7 start? Who saw the 3-13 San Francisco 49ers surging to the Super Bowl the following season?

Unpredictable things happen all the time in sports and maybe just this one time, the Jets will serve as beneficiaries of that unpredictability.

There are varied viewpoints on just how well the Jets will fare in 2020. Some have their sights set on a playoff run while others are a bit more pessimistic.

That’s why we asked our staff here at The Jet Press to give their final predictions for the upcoming season including taking a stab at what the team’s record could be.

Let’s take a look at what a few of us had to say.

Next: 1. Justin Fried

1. Justin Fried: What will the NY Jets’ record be in 2020?

It’s hard to be too optimistic about the state of the Jets going into 2020. While some will be stricken with a case of preseason optimism, it’s important to be realistic with this team to avoid future disappointment.

For that reason, expectations should certainly be curbed.

The defense, on paper, should be worse than it was last year. Gregg Williams worked his magic last season and managed to get the absolute most out of his players.

But let’s be real for a second — they overachieved. And they overachieved against an incredibly easy slate of poor offensive teams. That won’t be the case in 2020 with the Jets set to play some of the best offensive teams in the league.

Expecting the Jets to host a top-10 defense again this season without Jamal Adams and with a much more difficult schedule would be foolish. But the defense isn’t the biggest problem.

While the Jets bandaged the offense in the offseason, it’s still one of the weakest units in the NFL. A lot is riding on an offensive line with essentially zero chemistry together to be the catalyst for an improved offense.

Are there reasons it should work? Sure, but there are more reasons why it won’t.

The receiving corps is still a mess and head coach Adam Gase did little in his first season (or in his coaching career) to offer up optimism.

The Jets should be one of the worst teams in the NFL this year and anyone insisting otherwise is either being incredibly optimistic or seeing things through rose-colored glasses.

There’s nothing wrong with a sense of optimism, but fans should be prepared for what awaits them on the other side. And in this case, it’s yet another losing season with a top-10 draft pick.

NY Jets Record Prediction: 5-11

Next: 2. Tyler Capossela

2. Tyler Capossela: What will the NY Jets’ record be in 2020?

The Jets are entering the 2020 NFL season with renewed optimism, as we’ve seen from years prior. Every offseason, Jets fans feel rejuvenated, ready to name their team playoff contenders.

This year, it’s no different.

Jets fans have been clamoring to see first-round rookie Mekhi Becton take the field, and lay a few pancakes while he’s doing so. Free-agent acquisition, wide receiver Breshad Perriman, is ready to prove many analysts and those critical of him, wrong.

Second-year cornerback Blessuan Austin is destined to keep developing under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, set to secure that No. 2 cornerback spot alongside Pierre Desir.

What do all of these players have in common? One common goal. Be the best. Win a championship.

That’s what general manager Joe Douglas has his sights set on just a couple of days away from the regular-season opener up in Orchard Park.

“I’m not going to be happy until we win a Super Bowl,” Douglas told reporters earlier this week.

These are not only Douglas’ words, but the words that Jets fans have been preaching ever since Joe Namath’s “guarantee” back on January 12th, 1969.

NY Jets Record Prediction: 7-9

Next: 3. Mike Mitchell

3. Mike Mitchell: What will the NY Jets’ record be in 2020?

As a typical Jets loyalist, it’s predictable to state this, but I am not optimistic about the coming season. It’s a familiar feeling for most longtime Jets fans. Expecting the worst but praying for the best.

The optimist in me says that by some miracle, the Jets won seven games last year. They did so despite all of their inadequacies and issues. Injuries and talent deficiencies alone should have relegated the team to no more than three wins last year.

Sam Darnold gives the Jets a fighting chance every week. The Jets offensive line is vastly improved. Le’Veon Bell seems motivated to recapture his former glory.

Gregg Williams will work his magic again, and the NFL playoff field has expanded. So why can’t the Jets win more than seven games and steal a wildcard spot?

The pessimist says the Jets haven’t won more than seven games two years in a row in over a decade (2010-2011). The Jets lack elite players and difference-makers on their roster, and their best player is now in Seattle. Adam Gase is and will never be the answer at head coach.

The truth is that I expect the Jets to be a better team in 2020 than they were in 2019, but that doesn’t always equate itself to having a better record.

As much as I want them to defy the odds and the doubters, which includes me, the Jets are not ready to be contenders yet.

NY Jets Record Prediction: 6-10