2016 New York Jets Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

Despite the team posting a six-win improvement from 2014 to 2015, a sense of disappointment inevitably hangs over head coach Todd Bowles' first season in charge. He'll hope to continue moving the team forward in 2016.

The math was simple for the Jets in Week 17—a win over the Buffalo Bills would get them into the playoffs. Instead, they lost, and the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory sealed their fate.

"My heart hurts so bad right now for all those guys in the locker room," then-starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said at the time, per Ben Shpigel of the New York Times. "It's the hardest and most difficult end to a season I've ever had in terms of how I feel right now."

Bowles apparently still has some detractors in the Big Apple, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley:

The Jets finished 9-7 and 11-5 in Rex Ryan's first two seasons before stagnating and missing the playoffs in his final four years. As a result, it's understandable if some are still a bit hesitant to jump on the Bowles bandwagon.

According to Football Outsiders, the Jets finished with the fifth-best defense in the league in 2015. Similarly to Ryan's time with the team, New York's offense remains a bit of a question mark, even with the addition of running back Matt Forte.

A poor season wouldn't put Bowles on the hot seat, but it will be important to maintain the optimism and momentum he built last year.

Here's a look at the Jets' regular-season schedule for 2016:

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	TV Info
1	Sept. 11	vs. Cincinnati Bengals	1 p.m.	CBS
2	Sept. 15	at Buffalo Bills	8:25 p.m.	CBS
3	Sept. 25	at Kansas City Chiefs	4:25 p.m.	CBS
4	Oct. 2	vs. Seattle Seahawks	1 p.m.	Fox
5	Oct. 9	at Pittsburgh Steelers	1 p.m.	CBS
6	Oct. 17	at Arizona Cardinals	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
7	Oct. 23	vs. Baltimore Ravens	1 p.m.	CBS
8	Oct. 30	at Cleveland Browns	1 p.m.	CBS
9	Nov. 6	at Miami Dolphins	1 p.m.	CBS
10	Nov. 13	vs. Los Angeles Rams	1 p.m.	Fox
11	BYE
12	Nov. 27	vs. New England Patriots	8:30 p.m.	NBC
13	Dec. 5	vs. Indianapolis Colts	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
14	Dec. 11	at San Francisco 49ers	4:05 p.m.	CBS
15	Dec. 17	vs. Miami Dolphins	8:25 p.m.	NFL Network
16	Dec. 24	at New England Patriots	1 p.m.	CBS
17	Jan. 1	vs. Buffalo Bills	1 p.m.	CBS

Analysis

Replicating last year's 10-win season won't be easy for the Jets based on their schedule for next year. Navigating through the AFC East will be difficult enough for New York, and the team also drew the toughest division in the league, per John Breech of CBSSports.com: the NFC West.

The San Francisco 49ers look to be the weakest team in the NFC West, yet they're also somewhat of a wild card with head coach Chip Kelly at the helm. The Jets could easily finish with two, even three losses from their matchups with the Niners, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.

Should it go even 2-2 against the West, New York would have a much smaller margin for error in order to make the playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals are the reigning AFC North champions, while the Kansas City Chiefs finished one game behind the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

That's to say nothing of the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, both of whom should rebound after disappointing seasons. The Colts will be better with a healthy Andrew Luck under center, while the Ravens' luck should turn around after they lost so many close games and dealt with injuries.

Jets fans have every reason to be optimistic about the team's chances in 2016, but they shouldn't be too surprised if the team is actually better but loses more games than it did in 2015. New York's regular-season slate is extremely unforgiving.

Pivotal Matchups

Buffalo Bills

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Since 2003, the New England Patriots have won the AFC East in all but one year—the same year Tom Brady only played in one game. Although the Jets could end the Patriots' run of seven straight division titles, the wild card will be a more realistic route to the playoffs.

In the same way the Patriots are a model for consistency, the Miami Dolphins perennially underachieve like few others in the NFL. Couple that with the losses of defensive end Olivier Vernon and running back Lamar Miller, and Miami might struggle to end its postseason drought.

The Jets' strongest competition in the wild-card race within the division might come from the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo was actually one game worse in 2015 than it was in 2014. Having quarterback Tyrod Taylor for a full season might have brought different results, though.

The Jets and Bills' two regular-season matchups could end up having playoff implications for the second year in a row. As if that won't be enough to get New York motivated, the team won't want to go winless against Ryan for a second year in a row.

Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Sticking with the wild-card theme, one, two or even all three of the Steelers, Bengals and Ravens will be vying for the playoffs in 2016.

The fact the Jets play each team could be either a good or bad thing depending on the results, especially if head-to-head record becomes a tiebreaker. With an easier schedule, New York could have probably afforded to lose a few important games against conference foes. That luxury isn't afforded to the Jets, which makes their intraconference games even more vital.

In four of the last five years, one game or fewer determined who received the final wild-card spot in the AFC. How the Jets fare against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Baltimore could prove decisive in the playoff race.