Jets’ full list of 2026 opponents confirmed after miserable Week 18 loss

The New York Jets are coming off a brutal end to the 2025 season, capped by Sunday’s 35–8 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 that dropped the team to 3–14. It was the fifth straight game the Jets had lost by 23 or more points, which, yes, is a new NFL record.

In many ways, this was a fittingly ugly finish to a year that never came close to meeting expectations, one that forced head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey to handle constant — and deserved — scrutiny in their first season in charge.

Despite the results, the Jets have made it clear that both Glenn and Mougey will return in 2026, with the organization committed to giving the current regime an opportunity to correct course.

With the season officially in the rearview mirror, the focus has shifted firmly to the offseason and what lies ahead. Between the draft, free agency, and a reshaped roster, the Jets have plenty of work to do.

Another key piece of that puzzle is now in place, as the team’s list of opponents for the 2026 season has been finalized. While the full schedule won’t be released until later this year, the Jets now know exactly who they’ll be facing as they look to rebound from one of the most difficult seasons in franchise history.

List of Jets opponents for the 2026 season

2026 Jets home opponents

• New England Patriots
• Miami Dolphins
• Buffalo Bills
• Denver Broncos
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Green Bay Packers
• Minnesota Vikings
• Cleveland Browns

2026 Jets road opponents

• New England Patriots
• Miami Dolphins
• Buffalo Bills
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Chicago Bears
• Detroit Lions
• Tennessee Titans
• Arizona Cardinals

As always, the Jets’ schedule begins with the familiar division matchups. The Jets will play each of their AFC East rivals — the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots — twice, once at home and once on the road, accounting for six games on the slate.

Outside of that, the NFL’s rotating format brings the AFC East and AFC West together in 2026. That means the Jets will face all four AFC West teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Those matchups are split evenly between home and away as part of the league’s three-year intra-conference rotation, with the Jets set to travel to Kansas City and Los Angeles for two particularly difficult road games. And yes, the Jets will face the Broncos for the seventh consecutive season, and for the ninth time in the last 10 years.

The Jets’ interconference opponents will come from the NFC North, which lines up with the AFC East on a four-year cycle. As a result, the Jets will also take on the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears during the 2026 season.

The remaining three games are determined by where the Jets finished in the AFC East standings. As a fourth-place team, the Jets will face the fourth-place finishers from the AFC South and AFC North — the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns — as well as the fourth-place team from the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals.

In total, the Jets will play eight home games in 2026, as the NFC is scheduled to receive the extra home game this season. That's why the Jets will be traveling to both Tennessee and Arizona, instead of hosting one of those teams in East Rutherford.