New York Jets 2015 Schedule: Win-Loss Predictions for Every Game
We get answers, and we formulate more questions.
The NFL schedule release sparks the beginning of four months of speculation. We already knew which teams were facing which and where those games would be played, but now we know when those games will be played and what channel will broadcast them.
For teams like the New York Jets, though, who are still in the middle of building their roster—much less carving their starting roster in stone—there's still much left to be determined.
Thus, forecasting the 2015 season can prove difficult. That being said, we already know some answers at multiple positions that were of need for the Jets, and now, we have a slightly better idea of what the team will look like at the beginning of the 2015 season.
There are still some things to be decided, but here's our best shot at a preview of how the Jets schedule could play out in 2015.
Week 1: Vs. Cleveland Browns
1 of 17
Date: Sunday, September 13
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
Whether it's Johnny Manziel or Josh McCown at quarterback, the Cleveland Browns are probably going to take a step back on offense in 2015. They still have Travis Benjamin and signed Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline this offseason, but none of those players will make up for the lost playmaking ability of Josh Gordon, who will be suspended for at least the 2015 season, and tight end Jordan Cameron, who signed with the Miami Dolphins.
One interesting element in this matchup is the presence of former Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who is now the head coach of the Browns. Pettine's former superior, Rex Ryan, is no longer with the team, but Pettine still has extensive knowledge of much of the Jets' personnel—especially since they brought back Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie this offseason.
The Browns defense looked good on the stat sheet last year, finishing in the top 10 in scoring and against the pass (passing yards, yards per pass attempt, touchdowns, interceptions and defensive passer rating were all in the top 10). True to Pettine's form, though, Cleveland struggled against the run. In 2013, Pettine's Buffalo Bills ranked in the bottom 10 in rushing yards allowed and rushing yards per attempt allowed, and in 2014, his Browns ranked in the bottom five in both categories.
That's the weakness the Jets should attack.
The Jets defense might be in all-out attack mode, up against a shoddy quarterback and an aging group of receivers, but the best thing the team can do is sit back and wait for either Manziel or McCown to make the mistakes that will allow the Jets to run away with the victory.
Prediction: Jets 27, Browns 23
Week 2: At Indianapolis Colts
2 of 17
Date: Monday, September 21
Time: 8:30 p.m ET
Network: ESPN (Monday Night Football)
There's something about the Colts at home. Maybe it's the horse shoes on the sides of the helmets; maybe it's the world "Luck" emblazoned between the shoulders of their quarterback, Andrew Luck. Those are not advantages that the Colts suddenly gain when they are at Lucas Oil Stadium, but there must be something. Since 2012, the Colts have won 21 of their 26 home games, a .808 win clip that ranks fourth in the NFL in that span.
They also have a 162 point differential over their opponents at home, seventh-highest in the league. Needless to say, the Jets aren't going to waltz into Indianapolis and get an easy win. That being said, no one was expecting a pushover with Luck at quarterback, T.Y. Hilton and Andre Johnson at receiver, Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen at tight end and a talented defense in support of that group.
If the Colts do have a weakness, though, it's on defense. Just ask the New England Patriots, who have run wild like Hulkamania all over the Colts defense for two years to the tune of 657 yards in three games. The Jets may not know who their quarterback is yet, but if they want to at least keep afloat against the Colts, the running game is the way to do it.
If the Colts offense gets any kind of rhythm or even sneaks one past the Jets secondary, though, that could prove to be the difference in this game.
Prediction: Colts 33, Jets 21
Week 3: Vs. Philadelphia Eagles
3 of 17
Date: Sunday, September 27
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: Fox
The Jets aren't the only team in the NFL with questions at the quarterback position right now, and their meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles is still surrounded in speculation right now.
Who will be the starting quarterback for each team? Will Mark Sanchez have a chance at redemption against his old team, or will that honor go to Tim Tebow, whom the Eagles recently signed after a two-year regular-season hiatus from the league? What about Sam Bradford, who was acquired from the St. Louis Rams in exchange for Nick Foles?
Whoever it is, his job is going to be significantly more difficult against a talented Jets secondary, but the Eagles have plenty of talent of their own. They lost Foles, running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin this offseason but added running back DeMarco Murray, plus they still have wide receivers Riley Cooper and Jordan Matthews and tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek.
The Eagles' biggest problems appear to be on defense, particularly in the secondary. The Jets have the personnel to exploit those weaknesses, with Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall and Jeremy Kerley at wide receiver, along with tight ends Jace Amaro and Jeff Cumberland over the middle, but without the right quarterback, it could be difficult to exploit those holes.
Ultimately, the Eagles are closer to real answers at quarterback and have more talent on the offensive side. The Jets will probably hold them in check, but their offense may not be able to keep up.
Prediction: Eagles 19, Jets 14
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Week 4: At Miami Dolphins
4 of 17
Date: Sunday, October 4
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Network: CBS
The strange start time is thanks to a Wembley Stadium showdown between the two AFC East rivals.
And my, what a difference a year makes. Last season, the matchups between the Jets and the Miami Dolphins brought us one-on-one battles featuring Antonio Allen vs. Brian Hartline and Darrin Walls vs. Mike Wallace. This year, we'll get nothing like that, with much more interesting battles pitting Kenny Stills vs. Antonio Cromartie and Jarvis Landry vs. Darrelle Revis.
Ryan Tannehill is more proven than anyone the Jets have at quarterback, even more so than Ryan Fitzpatrick. The question is whether Todd Bowles can confuse him and keep him off-balance in the same ways that Rex Ryan has done in the past three seasons. The Jets personnel have seemingly found the key to confusing Tannehill, but it may be different with a different receiving corps at Tannehill's disposal now.
The Dolphins' best bet is to win on defense, where their pass rush should tee off against an inferior group of pass protectors for the Jets. If Olivier Vernon, Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh are able to get in rhythm against the Jets offensive line, it could be a long trip down south for Gang Green.
Prediction: Dolphins 26, Jets 19
Week 5: Bye Week
5 of 17
The Jets have some early tests on their schedule that could get them off to a rough start. My prediction puts them at 1-3 at the bye, which would not be a good start to the Todd Bowles era in New York.
The early bye week may be viewed as disadvantageous, but think about this: By mid-October, the Jets will have already been working on football things for two-and-a-half straight months, with training camp starting in late July. When the bye week is over, they'll have almost exactly two-and-a-half months left before the regular season ends, with the season ending in early January.
It may seem too soon for a bye week, but the truth is it's right down the middle of the Jets' total package.
Week 6: Vs. Washington Redskins
6 of 17
Date: Sunday, October 18
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: Fox
File this one under a battle of the unknowns. We don't know who will be the quarterback for either team, which makes it difficult to get a read on how this one will play out.
Right now, Robert Griffin III is the front-runner for the starting quarterback job with the Redskins, according to head coach Jay Gruden, but there's no rule that says they can't still draft a quarterback in the first round on April 30 and change the plan. There's been no indication as to who the Jets quarterback will be, and there's still time for them to add to the roster as well.
Where the Jets have a decided advantage is in offensive skill-position personnel and on defense. The Redskins have a paper-thin secondary, and they must account for wide receivers Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall and Jeremy Kerley. The Redskins do boast a pair of talented receivers in Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, but with Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on the boundary, the Jets have their answer.
The team that plays the best brand of defense is likely to come away with a victory.
Prediction: Jets 20, Redskins 12
Week 7: At New England Patriots
7 of 17
Date: Sunday, October 25
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
It's hard to go on the road and win; it's even harder against a Super Bowl champion.
The New England Patriots have made a hobby of winning at home, and it seems as carefree as stamp collecting to them. They've won a ridiculous 57 out of 64 regular-season home games since 2007 (.891), better than the Green Bay Packers by nearly 10 percent (51-12-1; .805).
The Jets match up fairly well with the Patriots on paper; they have a tough running game that can grind down the clock, a front four that can create pressure without blitzing and a secondary that can play physical at the line of scrimmage.
So how do the Patriots come away with a win? Superior coaching, superior quarterback play and that all-important home-field advantage. Even if the Jets do a fantastic job for 55 minutes, Tom Brady has proved he can put it together in crunch time to give the Patriots a win.
Prediction: Patriots 21, Jets 17
Week 8: At Oakland Raiders
8 of 17
Date: Sunday, November 1
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
One of the benefits of finishing in last place in the division is that it typically means a meeting with the Oakland Raiders, who are annually one of the worst teams in football.
It doesn't appear as though much will change this year, and although the Raiders have found the guy they hope will be their franchise quarterback in Derek Carr, there are never any guarantees—especially when given Carr was graded as the 74th-best quarterback out of 75 qualifying quarterbacks in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus.
If the Jets' new-look defense can't capitalize on Carr, I don't know that they'll be capitalizing on anyone in 2015.
On the flip side, if the Jets offense will have success against the Raiders, it will probably be through the air; the Raiders ranked fifth-worst in Football Outsiders' opponent-adjusted metrics against the pass and 14th against the run.
Prediction: Jets 21, Raiders 12
Week 9: Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
9 of 17
Date: Sunday, November 8
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
Some games on the calendar are just hard to get excited about. This is one of them.
The Jets are a team in transition, and it's fun to speculate on what they'll look like but hard to know for sure. The Jacksonville Jaguars, on the other hand, have seemingly been in transition since their inception in 1995.
With Blake Bortles projected to be the starting quarterback, who knows what to expect? He started off hot at the beginning of the 2014, season but took steps backward as the season went on. Greg Cosell of Yahoo Sports has doubts as to whether he'll ever reach his ceiling, after he "lost his technique" down the stretch in 2014 and showed trouble reading coverage.
Those are weaknesses that the Jets defense needs to take advantage of. A dominant defensive performance is the key to a win over a team that the Jets should have no problem with on paper.
Prediction: Jets 19, Jaguars 14
Week 10: Vs. Buffalo Bills
10 of 17
Date: Thursday, November 12
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Network: NFL Network (Thursday Night Football)
Two times this year, things are going to get awkward in pregame warm-ups and postgame handshakes as Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan faces off against his old team.
The Jets and Bills are constructed in similar ways. They both feature a talented defense, lack a true answer at the quarterback position and have some skill-position talent on offense. Both have question marks on the offensive line and are led by a head coach who likes to deploy an aggressive game plan on defense.
Expect this game to turn into a defensive slugfest, with both teams trading blows in the form of big plays such as interceptions and sack-fumbles. When the dust settles, the winner will most likely be the team that has the best success running the ball. With a better offensive line, the Jets appear to be better-equipped to excel on the ground—yes, even against a Bills defense that ranked in the top 11 in rushing yards allowed and rushing touchdowns allowed.
Prediction: Jets 14, Bills 10
Week 11: At Houston Texans
11 of 17
Date: Sunday, November 22
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
The Houston Texans seem to be brewing up a lager that could best be described as "Patriots Lite." With head coach Bill O'Brien, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, quarterback Brian Hoyer and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, the Texans have brought in plenty of people with experience in a winning organization.
That being said, the Texans aren't the second coming of the Patriots—at least not yet.
The Jets' best bet in this contest will be to confuse Hoyer with a variety of pass-rush packages and coverages that will force him to doubt what he is seeing. Disguise and aggressiveness will be the name of the game.
That aggressive nature will also pay off against Texans running back Arian Foster, who is arguably the life force of the offense. The Texans aren't as reliant on play action as they were under Gary Kubiak, but after they registered a league-high 551 rush attempts in 2015, it would be foolish not to circle the running game as the key in stopping their offense.
This one will be a grind, but these two teams are about even on talent. Home-field advantage gives the Texans the close win.
Prediction: Texans 20, Jets 16
Week 12: Vs. Miami Dolphins
12 of 17
Date: Sunday, November 29
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
Ryan Tannehill has thrown four touchdowns and six interceptions in his career against the Jets and has completed 57.6 percent of his passes for a meager 70.3 passer rating. That was all against Rex Ryan, but if he thinks it's going to get any easier against Todd Bowles, he's mistaken. That's especially true since the Jets will now be enlisting the services of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie in coverage.
The Jets will most likely take the opportunity to pad their sack totals against a porous Dolphins offensive line that has significant holes on the interior at both guard spots. Look for a lot of blitzes from Bowles' exotic, pressure-happy scheme.
There are still lingering questions about the Jets offense, namely at quarterback, and how that will affect their offensive approach. Most likely, we'll see a heavy dose of the running game regardless of who ends up being the signal-caller. The Dolphins have struggled against the run as of late, and unless Ndamukong Suh is going to single-handedly improve their run defense, the Dolphins could have some trouble against Gang Green.
Prediction: Jets 17, Dolphins 14
Week 13: At New York Giants
13 of 17
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
Typically, these two teams meet in the preseason, but with a meeting during the regular season, this edition of "The Snoopy Bowl" may actually mean something.
The Giants offensive line has the pieces to match up with a fierce Jets pass rush. Giants quarterback Eli Manning was pressured on 28.7 percent of his dropbacks in 2014, ranking 21st out of 27 quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine will have to play airtight coverage on the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle to allow the pass rush time to get home.
On the flip side, the Giants pass defense may have a tough time accounting for the Jets' bevy of pass-catching threats in Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall and Jeremy Kerley, not to mention tight ends Jace Amaro and Jeff Cumberland. The Giants' Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara at cornerback make for a good start, but they're not going to be enough on their own.
With no running game to speak of, the Giants may be reliant on Manning and the receivers to move the ball on offense. A one-dimensional attack is never a good thing against an aggressive defense like the Jets.
Prediction: Jets 20, Giants 17
Week 14: Vs. Tennessee Titans
14 of 17
Date: Sunday, December 13
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
This clash is another in a group of matchups that feature two quarterback controversies with questionable outcomes. The Tennessee Titans could call on Zach Mettenberger to be their signal-caller, or perhaps they're anxious to draft Oregon's Marcus Mariota.
Either way, the Jets will be going up against an inexperienced quarterback and will have the option of using the full breadth of their defensive playbook to keep that passer guessing.
The Titans do not have the offensive firepower to give the Jets any kind of trouble in the passing game; though Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter are talented, they're not enough on their own to make life difficult for the Jets defense. The same goes for the running game, where neither Bishop Sankey nor former Jets running back Shonn Greene is going to be the bulldozing back that's necessary to blow holes in the Jets run defense.
On the flip side, the Jets should be able to move the ball at will against a Titans defense that has struggled up front. If the Jets can control the line of scrimmage, they should hold serve at home.
Prediction: Jets 21, Titans 17
Week 15: At Dallas Cowboys
15 of 17
Date: Saturday, December 19
Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
Network: NFL Network
Say what you will about Tony Romo, but the Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback has finished in the top 10 in passer rating each year he's been a starter in the NFL.
He'll need to put up another dominant performance like that against the Jets if he wants to hold serve at home and carry the Cowboys to victory.
He still has wide receivers Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley, as well as tight end Jason Witten, but without DeMarco Murray at running back, he's lost one of the best security blankets of all: the ability to turn around and hand the ball off with confidence that the running back will keep the offense on schedule at worst and break a long gain at best.
The Jets will need to find a way to contain all the threats in the passing game, though, and that could prove difficult. Even if they're successful for the most part, the margin of error is so small because of their lack of talent on offense. It's hard to go on the road and win; it's harder against a playoff contender.
Prediction: Cowboys 30, Jets 16
Week 16: Vs. New England Patriots
16 of 17
Date: Sunday, December 27
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
The Jets still don't even know who their starting quarterback will be. How could they possibly be considered a threat to the New England Patriots? It's simple: With a stout defensive front coupled with a tough-nosed rush attack, the Jets have a formula that's worked against the Patriots in the past.
Here's a layout on defense: Darrelle Revis on wide receiver Julian Edelman, Antonio Cromartie on wide receiver Brandon LaFell, Buster Skrine on wide receiver Danny Amendola, double-teams with a linebacker (DeMario Davis or David Harris) and a safety (Calvin Pryor or Marcus Gilchrist) on tight end Rob Gronkowski, plus enough pressure from the front four to prevent Tom Brady from having the necessary time in the pocket.
On offense, the burden all falls on the Jets offensive line. Opening holes in the running game will be the key to the game plan. The Patriots were exposed in the running game at times in 2014, yielding more than 100 rushing yards in nine of their 19 total games and more than 150 in five games. Even if the holes aren't there, Chris Ivory ranked fifth out of 42 running backs in ProFootballFocus.com's "elusive rating" last season.
If the Jets can keep Brady off the field, they stand a chance at victory.
Prediction: Jets 21, Patriots 17
Week 17: At Buffalo Bills
17 of 17
Date: Sunday, January 3
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
The Jets have a chance to prove that their talent transcends their coaching. That being said, they had 16 chances to prove it last year and were only successful four times.
Head coach Rex Ryan may have been part of the reasons the Jets took a nosedive in 2014, but he'll have a chance to prove he wasn't the whole problem when his new team, the Buffalo Bills, play host to his old team, the Jets.
The problem is, without a franchise quarterback—or even a serviceable quarterback—his ability to attack the Jets' stingy pass defense is severely hindered. That being said, he has a stout defense of his own and is going against an offense that also does not have an answer at the game's most important position.
Ryan will put his knowledge of his old team to good use on two separate occasions this year. Expect him to get the upper hand in at least one of those encounters.
Prediction: Bills 28, Jets 13
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