Jets chance to salvage season starts with Week 4 primetime showdown

The New York Jets enter Week 4 staring at a rare opening: a soft upcoming schedule that, if handled right, could reset the season’s narrative.

After three brutal losses, narrow margins, costly errors, and mounting pressure, the stretch from Week 4 through Week 11 offers the Jets a chance to build momentum, provided they can first take care of business against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.

Looking ahead, New York faces several opponents who have shown plenty of cracks themselves.

After Miami, the Jets get home dates with Dallas and Denver, then travel to Cincinnati before facing Carolina, Cleveland, and New England. None of those teams is unbeatable, and this is exactly the type of stretch a winless team has to take advantage of.

Yes, it’s a forgiving run of opponents, but it’s also a chance for the Jets to clean up early-season mistakes and finally stack some wins, something they haven’t done with any consistency in nearly 15 years.

Maybe that’s asking a lot, but if they can go 4–3 or better during this span, what once looked like a lost year could start to feel salvageable again.

Week 4 already feels like a must-win game for the Jets

Momentum is everything right now. The Jets have been competitive in two of their three games (even if it took all four quarters to make the Buccaneers game watchable), and a Week 4 win over Miami wouldn’t just stop the bleeding. It would set the tone for the entire stretch and prove this team can recover from a rough start.

Quarterback play will decide how far they can go. Justin Fields is close to clearing concussion protocol, and if he returns soon, this softer schedule is the perfect backdrop to find rhythm and build on what might have been his sharpest start back in Week 1.

If he can’t go, veteran Tyrod Taylor has to keep the team steady, like he did in spurts against Tampa Bay. Either way, the Jets’ ability to capitalize hinges on consistency under center.

The defense also has to pull its weight. The front office already moved to address holes, trading for cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. while putting Quincy Williams and Marcelino McCrary-Ball on IR.

Brownlee adds depth and competition in the secondary, but the real answers have to come from within: fewer penalties, sharper tackling, and eliminating the late-game breakdowns that have cost them.

And at some point, they need to start forcing turnovers. Three games in, they haven’t created one.

At 0–3, the margin for error is almost gone. But the Jets don’t often get scheduling breaks like this, and the opportunity is right in front of them. What they do over the next six weeks will determine whether 2025 becomes another wasted season or the moment they finally turn a corner.

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