The Jets will get tested early in 2020 with games against playoff teams in the first two weeks of the season.
Gang Green open the season in Buffalo against the division-rival Bills and then play host to the defending NFC champion 49ers. Back-to-back West Coast games in December stand out. You wonder if the Jets will stay out West between games with the Seahawks and Rams.
Here is the full slate:
Week 1
at Bills
Sept. 13, 1 p.m., CBS
The Jets open the season against the Bills for the second straight year and third time in four years. This will be a nice test right out of the gate to see how the Jets measure up with the team now viewed as the division favorite by many.
Week 2
49ers
Sept. 20, 1 p.m., Fox
The defending NFC champs come to MetLife Stadium for the first time in eight years. The Jets will get to see what they missed out on in the 2019 draft up close in No. 2 pick Nick Bosa. Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo could give Gregg Williams some headaches.
Week 3
at Colts
Sept. 27, 4 p.m., CBS
Indianapolis has a new quarterback in veteran Philip Rivers leading Frank Reich’s attack. The Jets would be desperate for a win here if they start 0-2. New Jets running back Frank Gore will face one of his former teams for the third straight week.
Week 4
Broncos
Oct. 1, 8:20, NFL Network
This is a tough turnaround on a Thursday night after playing a road game on Sunday. Some Jets fans were hoping the team would draft Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy with their first-round pick last month. Instead, they took Mekhi Becton, and now Jeudy could make the Jets pay for it.
Week 5
Cardinals
Oct. 11, 1 p.m., Fox
Kliff Kingsbury interviewed for the Jets head coaching job in 2019 before the team hired Adam Gase. Quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins are a potent combo, and the Cardinals are going to be an improved team in 2020. Arizona pass-rusher Chandler Jones will be a test for the Jets’ revamped O-line.
Week 6
at Chargers
Oct. 18, 4:05, CBS
It is a homecoming for Sam Darnold, who grew up in nearby Orange County and played at USC. This is the first of three West Coast games for the Jets. The main question: Who is at quarterback for the Chargers? Will rookie Justin Herbert be the starter by this point or will it be Tyrod Taylor?
Week 7
Bills
Oct. 25, 1 p.m., CBS
Good friends Darnold and Josh Allen face off again with the future of the AFC East up for grabs. With Tom Brady gone, will one of them now become the leader in the division? The Jets and Bills split the season series last year with each team winning the road game. Their season series will be over early this year.
Week 8
at Chiefs
Nov. 1, 1 p.m., CBS
This is the toughest game on the schedule. It will be the Jets’ first meeting with Patrick Mahomes, who they passed on in the 2017 draft, selecting Jamal Adams instead. The defending Super Bowl champs are tough everywhere, but especially at home. If there are restrictions on fans attending the games, it could benefit the Jets in this one.
Week 9
Patriots
Nov. 9, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
The Patriots embarrassed the Jets last year on “Monday Night Football.” Now, Darnold gets to see them again in prime time and try to keep the ghosts away. The Jets have not faced the Patriots without Brady since 2008.
Week 10
at Dolphins
Nov. 15, 4:05 p.m., CBS
Will Tua Tagovailoa be under center for the Dolphins by this game or will it be old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick? The loss in Miami was the low point of the season last year. Adam Gase does not want a repeat of that. The temperature will surely be hot for this one and a loss could turn up the heat on Gase.
Week 11
Bye
Week 12
Dolphins
Nov. 29, 1 p.m., CBS
The Jets see the Dolphins for the second time in three weeks. Both teams have a bye in between. We should have a good idea of where both teams stand in the AFC East by this point. This is the first time teams will play each other in consecutive games since 1991, when the Chargers and Seahawks did it.
Week 13
Raiders
Dec. 6, 1 p.m., CBS
The Jets notched one of their biggest wins of the year over the Oakland Raiders last year. This will be their first meeting with the Las Vegas Raiders. Can Henry Ruggs III, taken one pick after the Jets took Mekhi Becton last month, make the Jets regret passing on him?
Week 14
at Seahawks
Dec. 13, 4 p.m., CBS
The Jets’ last win in Seattle came in 1997. They have lost in the two trips there since. Gregg Williams will have a challenge slowing Russell Wilson. Former Jets coach Pete Carroll has done well for himself since that one-year stint in 1994. This could be a reminder of what a mistake it was to fire him.
Week 15
at Rams
Dec. 19 or 20, TBD, TBD
The second half of back-to-back West Coast games. The Jets requested that they get two West Coast games together so they can stay west for the week and practice. The Rams missed the playoffs last year, but are just two years removed from a Super Bowl run.
Week 16
Browns
Dec. 26 or 27, TBD, TBD
This will be the sixth straight year the Jets have played the Browns. They have lost the last two to Baker Mayfield and Co. This is another duel between Darnold and Mayfield, the first two quarterbacks taken in the 2018 draft.
Week 17
at Patriots
Jan. 3, 1 p.m., CBS
The Jets end the season in Foxborough, which will feel strange this season without Brady. Will the Jets still be in contention at this point? Will the Patriots? The Jets have missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons. Maybe they can end that streak with a win in this one.