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The NY Jets are the new 'America's Team' according to TV ratings

The Jets have been can't-miss TV this year
Justin Fried
Justin Fried

The Jet Press

NY Jets, Wes Schweitzer / Kathryn Riley/GettyImages

The NY Jets were expected to be can't-miss TV this season following the team's acquisition of future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But even without Rodgers, the Jets have dominated the ratings.

The Jets announced this week that Sunday's Week 6 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles was the most-watched game of the NFL season, with over 26 million viewers tuning in to see the Jets upset the previously undefeated Eagles.

This wasn't just a one-game fluke, either. The Jets have now participated in the three most-watched games of the 2023 NFL season. The Jets/Cowboys game in Week 2 averaged 25.78 million viewers, while the Jets' Week 4 game against the Kansas City Chiefs ranks third with 24.83 million viewers.

This isn't even including the Jets' record-setting game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. The team's thrilling 22-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in overtime set a new ESPN Monday Night Football record with 22.6 million viewers.

In just six weeks, the Jets have the three most-watched games of the NFL season and have set a new Monday Night Football record for viewership. Even without Rodgers, the Jets are clearly the team to watch this season.

The NY Jets are the most-watched team in the NFL in 2023

This sudden influx of viewership has even prompted some, including Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, to dub the Jets as "the new America's Team." Step aside Cowboys — it's the Jets' time to shine now.

The Jets were given a league-high five primetime games this season due in large part to the arrival of Rodgers. Once Rodgers went down, many assumed that the NFL would regret giving the Jets so many high-profile games.

It's likely the league has no regrets at this time. In fact, Amazon is probably thrilled about having the Jets and Miami Dolphins on the first-ever Black Friday game next month. One could only imagine what the ratings will look like for that AFC East clash.

And to think, this is what the Jets are doing without Rodgers at quarterback. They're putting up these numbers with Zach Wilson and company leading the offense. Imagine what will happen if Rodgers returns this season.

The narrative that people don't want to watch the Jets on primetime is as good as dead. The numbers speak for themselves — people are tuning in to see the Jets play football.

No team in the NFL is drawing more eyeballs to the product than the Jets right now. That much is evident.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.