2011 NFL Predictions for All 16 New York Jets Regular-Season Games

After the lockout put the 2011 NFL season in jeopardy, football is finally here. The preseason has begun with more excitement than ever before and now all of us can enjoy watching the game without having to hear about collective bargaining agreements, revenue sharing or rookie wage scales.

Now it is all about getting on the field and playing football. Teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots have revamped their rosters, making each team the favorite to reach the Super Bowl from their respective conference.

Coming off a second consecutive AFC Championship game appearance, however, the New York Jets still feel that they are a serious Super Bowl contender in 2011. New York has added players like Plaxico Burress, Muhammad Wilkerson and Kenrick Ellis to a roster that already includes the likes of Darrelle Revis, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie, LaDainian Tomlinson and David Harris.

The roster is certainly talented enough to win the AFC East and maybe even win the Lombardi Trophy. Here is how each regular-season game for the Jets is projecting to shake out.

Week 1: vs. Cowboys

There is no question that the opening game against the Dallas Cowboys is a tremendous game for the Jets. It will be the home opener for New York against one of the most hated franchises in football on national television in front of 82,000 screaming Jets fans. Rex versus his twin brother Rob, Romo versus Sanchez, Revis versus Austin and much more. The game is sure to be an exciting one.

Sanchez will likely face some pressure from DeMarcus Ware, resulting in a number of incompletions. Despite the pass rush of Ware, Sanchez will find a lot of space in the Dallas secondary and the running game will find holes. Dallas finished last season 26^th in passing defense, allowing 243 yards per game and 33 touchdowns through the air.

New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will help improve the Cowboys defense, but this is a Dallas team that hasn’t really made any acquisitions in the offseason to better themselves on the defensive side of the ball.

Romo will find it difficult dealing with the Jets defense with Revis and Cromartie patrolling the outsides of the field and Rex drawing up some creative blitzes involving his linebackers and secondary.

The Jets will start the season off on a good note, beating Dallas to start the season off 1-0 with a 17-10 victory on opening night.

Week 2: vs. Jaguars

Week 2 for the Jets should be a pretty easy task as the team will host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sanchez will pick apart last season’s fifth-worst passing defense, going to the air frequently this game. Jacksonville gave up 250 passing yards per game, 28 passing touchdowns and only sacked the quarterback 26 times.

Other than Maurice Jones-Drew, who will have a good game, the Jaguars will not have much firepower on offense. This is not a team that scares you at all, especially if young quarterback Blaine Gabbert is the starter on the road against the swarming Jets defense.

Among Sanchez’s biggest weapons in this game will be Dustin Keller, who will find pockets of space against a defense that has issues at the safety position. Revis and Cromartie will shut down the passing game and this will force their opponents to lean heavily on Jones-Drew. Rex will stack the box, holding the Jaguars to under 10 points.

A score of 21-7 Jets will be the final in this game.

Week 3: @ Raiders

The Jets will go out west in Week 3 to take on another inferior opponent that they have had success against recently. Last time both teams met in Oakland, Sanchez was a rookie and his job in that Week 7 matchup in 2009 was to hand the ball off as much as possible to Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene.

In the end the game was a blowout. The Jets won 38-0, one of the easiest games Sanchez will ever play in as a professional.

Two years later, the Oakland Raiders have a different quarterback and must fend without their best overall player Nnamdi Asomugha who they lost to free agency. The Raiders pass defense will surely feel the effects of losing Asomugha as teams can now try their hand at getting yards through the air.

The Week 3 matchup in 2011 will not be the same 38-0 routing that took place in 2009. However, expect a similar result as New York will shut down the Raiders' mediocre offense and go to work against a defense no longer consisting of one of the league’s best cornerbacks.

The Jets will go to 3-0 after winning this game comfortably; 20-7 sounds like a good score.

Week 4: @ Ravens

The Ravens have always had one of the best defenses in the league with Ray Lewis anchoring the middle of the defense for over a decade. Rex Ryan’s former team has been a contender ever since the arrival of Joe Flacco and the Jets have struggled against Baltimore in previous meetings.

Week 4 will be a difficult one for Sanchez and the Jets. Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs will make life difficult for the Jets quarterback who will rely on his running backs in this game.

Last time both teams met opening night last season, the shackles were placed on Sanchez as he only completed 10-of-21 passes for 74 yards in a disappointing 10-9 loss in front of a packed New Meadowlands Stadium.

Rex will give him more freedom to throw the ball in this game but the pressure will be too much for him to handle. The Jets will lose their first game of the season in Baltimore by a score of 13-7.

Week 5: @ Patriots

Foxborough has always been a tough place for opposing teams to come to and defeat the Patriots. The Jets accomplished that feat when it counted most in the AFC divisional playoffs after getting blown out in the previous meeting between both teams Week 13.

Since that upset in the playoffs, New England has added some key players like Chad Ochocinco, Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis to an already dangerous team. Tom Brady now has Ochocinco to go along with Wes Welker, Deion Branch and his two big tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

This game will be a shootout between Brady and Sanchez as New England’s pass defense finished third-worst in the NFL. This will make New York lean heavily on the pass against a weak secondary and a difficult run defense consisting of Vince Wilfork, Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis up the middle.

The Jets will drop their second consecutive game by a score of 28-14, going to 3-2 on the year heading into another AFC East matchup against the Dolphins.

Week 6: vs. Dolphins

Over the past couple of years it seems as though the Jets have had a lot of trouble against the Miami Dolphins at home. Since 2008, the Jets have lost every home game to the Dolphins. Whether it is the Wildcat or the return game of Ted Ginn Jr., the Jets can’t seem to beat Miami in New Jersey.

2011 will be a different story though. The current Dolphins team has holes in its offense with a shaky quarterback and the loss of Ronnie Brown in the running game. Reggie Bush was a nice pickup but he alone cannot carry this offense.

Miami’s defense, on the other hand, was among the league’s best a season ago. Expect this game to be a relatively low-scoring game with some great defensive plays to go with solid special teams plays by New York.

The Jets will end the streak of home losses to the Dolphins by winning this game 14-9 and going to 4-2 on the year.

Week 7: vs. Chargers

It is hard to believe but the Chargers didn’t make the playoffs last season for the first time since 2005. Despite having the No. 1-ranked defense in 2010 and a dominant passing game led by Philip Rivers, they were overtaken by the Kansas City Chiefs.

San Diego has had issues traveling east to take on quality opponents in the past but they will give the Jets a stern challenge at New Meadowlands Stadium in Week 7.

New York will find it hard to get pressure on Rivers while struggling to contain Antonio Gates in the middle of the field. Eric Smith and the Jets safeties have had difficulties defending athletic tight ends like Gronkowski and Hernandez. Gates will prove to be too much in the red zone.

The Jets offense will also encounter problems against San Diego. The game will end in disappointment for New York as they will be defeated 21-13 and go into the bye week with a record of 4-3.

Week 9: @ Bills

With the exception of New England in Week 10 and Philadelphia in Week 15, Week 9 begins a stretch of relatively easy games for the Jets. It all starts with the Buffalo Bills on the road where New York had success last season.

Buffalo is not the same pushover team it was last year. However, this is a game that Gang Green must win. Rex’s defense will shine against Ryan Fitzpatrick and his new weapon Brad Smith.

Expect Gang Green to mix pass and run, play good defense, put themselves in good field position and manage this game comfortably.

This will be a big game for Santonio Holmes as he will use his speed on the signature quick slant play by Sanchez to gain chunks of yardage at a time.

Jets win 24-10, gaining some confidence going into their Week 10 matchup with the Patriots.

Week 10: vs. Patriots

If past history between both teams is any indication of what will happen in the 2011 edition of the Jets-Patriots rivalry, then this year will also result in a split of the two-game regular-season series between New York and New England.

Excluding 2007 in which the Patriots swept the regular-season series, both teams have one at least one game against each other in the regular season ever since 2006. It is a testament to the competition and also to the intensity of the rivalry which has motivated both teams to play at their best when they take the field against each other.

After losing in Week 5 to the Patriots in 2011, New York will even up the rivalry and come away with a victory at home.

The Jets will go to the air once more against a vulnerable Patriots secondary and avoid running up the middle into the two 300-pound linemen clogging the center of the defensive line. Sanchez will find success throwing to Dustin Keller and Santonio Holmes who will prove to be too fast for New England’s secondary.

It will be a close game but in the end, the Jets will come away victorious by a score of 24-17. 

Week 11: @ Broncos

After beating the Patriots at home, the Jets will travel to Denver to play the Broncos at INVESCO Field. Whether it is Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton playing quarterback in Week 11, both quarterbacks will have a tough time against the Jets defense.

The Broncos do not have much firepower on the offensive side of the ball with a young running back in Knowshon Moreno and a receiving core that doesn’t really have a No. 1 target. They will have trouble scoring against Gang Green’s defense, but I’m not sure the Jets will have as much difficulty scoring on Denver’s defense.

The Jets will have to watch out for Elvis Dumervil and rookie Von Miller on the pass rush, and Sanchez will have to be careful throwing the ball Champ Bailey’s way.

Ultimately, the Broncos are a mediocre team on paper right now. However, anything is possible in football and the Jets will not take this game lightly.

New York wins this game 23-13 and improves to 7-3.

Week 12: vs. Bills

This meeting in Week 12 will be similar to the first meeting between both teams as the Jets will take control of the game from the start. Expect L.T. and Greene to get a lot of carries early on with New York going back to its ground-and-pound style of play.

Sanchez will be efficient in this game but he will not do anything out of the ordinary. This is a game where he doesn’t need to do a whole lot to lead his team to a victory against an AFC East opponent.

The Jets defense will once again handle Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills offense, keeping Buffalo off the score board for the first couple of quarters.

This might be a game where Jets fans will see Jeremy Kerley in the Wildcat as former Jet Brad Smith will look on from the sideline.

New York sweeps the regular-season series from the Bills after winning 17-3. 

Week 13: @ Redskins

Rex Grossman claims his team will win the NFC East over the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys. If he plans on following through with that prediction, a game against the Jets would be an ideal moment to back up his talking.

I just don’t see it happening though. The Redskins have lots of holes both on offense and defense and Grossman isn’t the quarterback you want to try and lead your team to the playoffs. He did have a solid season taking over the starting job for Donovan McNabb in 2010, but Grossman isn’t even a top-15 quarterback in the league.

The Jets will do as they please in Week 13 against last year’s 31^st overall defense which allowed 262 passing yards per game, 127 rushing yards per game and only sacked the quarterback 29 times. The team would have to make a major improvement on defense this year if they expect to become a competitive team.

The Jets offense will have an easy time in both the passing game and running game as the Redskins defense will struggle to keep up with the talent lined up on New York’s offense. The Jets defense will also have a good game against the offensively challenged Washington team led by Rex Grossman.

Jets will win this game comfortably by a score of 28-13 at FedEx Field.

Week 14: vs. Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs surprised many last season when they overtook the Chargers to claim the AFC West title. It was a bit of a fairy-tale run for a team that doesn’t have many superstars on its roster.

This season will be different however. San Diego is coming after Kansas City and not making the playoffs has humbled the Chargers who are even hungrier to win in 2011. Teams around the league will catch up to the Chiefs. The Jets will certainly be prepared for this Week 14 matchup.

Kansas City is a tough team to beat at Arrowhead Stadium. Fortunately, Gang Green gets to play them at home in front of Fireman Ed and the rest of the Jets Nation. New York will handle Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe in the passing game but will also have to deal with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones in the running game.

Kansas City does have a solid defense led by last year’s AFC sack leader Tamba Hali. If Sanchez avoids Hali, he will be effective as he will find space down the field to throw to Holmes, Burress and Keller.

Expect the Jets to mix up the play-calling in this game. About 50/50 will be a good balance and it will allow New York to manage the game and keep Kansas City’s defense on the field for a long time.

New York will win this one 28-10 before going to Philadelphia in Week 15 to take on the” Dream Team."

Week 15: @ Eagles

Week 15 should be one of the best games of the entire season, at least based on the offseasons that each team had. Both are favorites to make the Super Bowl, especially Philadelphia which has had a sort of fantasy football offseason, signing Pro Bowler after Pro Bowler.

The storyline of the talented rosters of each team will give way to the storyline of Revis versus Nnamdi. Players who could have been potential teammates and who could have made up the best cornerback tandem in NFL history will now be on opposite sides as they will try to prove to America who the better player is.

On the field, Sanchez will be overwhelmed by the Eagles defense including Asomugha, Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the secondary. It doesn’t get much easier for him as he will have to cope with Cullen Jenkins and Trent Cole among others trying to knock him out of the game.

New York’s defense will also be tested by the blazing speed of the Eagles offense with guys like Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, Ronnie Brown and talented receivers like Steve Smith and tight end Brent Celek in the passing game.

I don’t see the Jets matching up against the Eagles very well on both sides of the ball. The talented Philadelphia offense will go ahead early and cause the Jets to play catch-up, which is something they are not familiar with doing.

The final score will be 28-17 Eagles as the Jets will earn their fourth loss of the season.

Week 16: vs. Giants

Christmas Eve will definitely be a big day in the New York/Metropolitan area as the Jets and Giants meet for the first time in the regular season since 2007. It will be exciting for the fans but even more exciting for the players and coaches who will want to earn bragging rights in the Big Apple.

Depending on whether or not the Jets have already clinched a playoff berth and decide to rest their starters, this game can go a couple of ways. Though this game takes place in Week 16 towards the end of the season, you have to believe that both teams will do all they can to win. So expect the starters to play for the Jets even if they are in the playoffs already.

The Jets are clearly the better team on paper after the Giants’ horrendous offseason of losing out on free agents and having key players leave Big Blue for more money. The Giants' wide receiving core is weak without Steve Smith and tight end Kevin Boss, who decided to sign elsewhere. This will result in Eli Manning not having his receivers get open against the swarming secondary of the Jets defense.

Manning will face pressure all game from all over, making him uncomfortable in the pocket. Sanchez will also face pressure from the Giants' dominant pass rush but he will turn to his running game, which will successfully carry the offense throughout the duration of this game.

The game will surely be one that will catch the attention of many. The Jets will defeat their in-stadium rivals by a score of 17-10, earning the right to call themselves New York’s football team in 2011.

Week 17: @ Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are always difficult to beat in the scorching heat of Sun Life Stadium. New York will take on the Dolphins in the final week of the season already in the playoffs but fighting for a first AFC East title since 2002. If it means anything for the Jets to host a playoff game, Rex Ryan will play his starters in this game and hope that New England slips up late in the season.

At this point in the season, I project New England to have 12-14 wins, meaning the Jets would have to win this game against the Dolphins to have any shot at claiming the AFC East title.

Sanchez and the Jets will be fired up for the last regular-season game while the Dolphins will look forward to going on vacation during the offseason. Expect New York to come out with a lot of energy and play some lockdown defense from start to finish.

Revis will shut down Marshall, and Bush will be a non-factor. This will be a game that will feature a lot of passes from the Jets quarterback until Gang Green goes ahead and tries to slow the game down by running and letting the clock tick.

With nothing to play for except pride, the Dolphins will not match the Jets either on offense or defense in this game. New York will finish the season with a 24-10 victory, ending the regular season with a 12-4 record, which will not be good enough to win the AFC East. They will once again enter the playoffs as a wild-card team possibly, but improbably, hosting a playoff game as the No. 5 seed in the AFC.