Based on the NFL schedule rotation, the Jets and the three other AFC East teams will face teams from the AFC South and the NFC West in 2024. With their third-place finish in the division, the Jets will also add the third-place finishers in the AFC North, the Steelers, and the NFC North, the Vikings, a division Aaron Rodgers is well-acquainted with.
The Jets will host eight teams at MetLife Stadium and visit nine teams on the road, including two trips West, to face Arizona and San Francisco.
The Green & White will face six playoff teams, the same number from 2023, including the Bills and the Dolphins. The remaining four opponents will be split – Texans and Rams at home,49ers and Steelers on the road.
The Texans are the only team on the home slate other than the division opponents that are returning to MetLife for a second consecutive season, although the Jets played the Broncos last season at Denver.
Here is a snapshot on the Jets’ 2024 opponents (with the teams’ 2023 records in parentheses). The schedule will be released by the NFL in the spring:
JETS HOME OPPONENTS (8)
Buffalo Bills (11-6): The Jets started their 2023 season with a bang, beating Buffalo, 22-16, in overtime at MetLife Stadium on a walk-off punt return TD by rookie Xavier Gipson. The Bills evened the series with a 32-6 win in Orchard Park, NY during Week 11. RB Breece Hall accounted for 220 scrimmage yards and 1 touchdown in the two matchups. Buffalo enters the 2024 season coming off its fifth consecutive playoff appearance and fourth-straight division title. These teams have defended their home turf each of the last two seasons splitting the season series in 2022 and 2023.
Miami Dolphins (11-6): Miami returned to the playoffs for the second-straight season as a wild card after losing to the Bills in Week 18. They swept the Jets, who played three quarterbacks – Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian – between both games, and held the Green & White to 13 points. The Jets will look to better handle Miami’s offense after allowing 30 points or more in each matchup. Miami finished ranked first in points per game (30.1) and yards per game (409.2) this season.
New England Patriots (4-13): After losing to New England in Week 3, 15-10, the Jets snapped their 15-game losing streak to Patriots with a Week 18 win, 17-3, at Gillette Stadium. The loss also gave New England its first last-place finish in the AFC East since HC Bill Belichick’s first season in 2000 and the Patriots’ worst record since they went 2-14 in 1992. After being held to 18 total yards in the first matchup, RB Breece Hall produced 190 scrimmage yards, including a 50-yard TD run, in the season finale.
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Houston Texans (10-7): With a win over the Colts in Week 18, the Texans earned a wild-card spot and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The Jets will play host to the Texans for the second-straight season after they defeated Houston, 30-6, in Week 14, scoring all their points in the second half. The Green & White held prolific rookie QB C.J. Stroud to 91 yards passing and produced 3 sacks.
Indianapolis Colts (9-8): The Colts finished one game out of the postseason despite losing starting rookie QB Anthony Richardson (shoulder) four games into the season. The No. 4 overall selection out of Florida in last April’s NFL Draft accounted for 4 rushing and 3 passing touchdowns before he was shut down. QB Gardner Minshew took the reins and threw for 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. In head coach Shane Steichen’s first season, the Colts managed a top-10 offense in points scored (23.3 per game), but allowed the 27th-most points per game (24.4). The Jets have lost their last two straight to Indianapolis, but have not hosted the Colts since their last victory, a 42-34 win in 2018.
Los Angeles Rams (10-7): Led by an explosive offense, the Super Bowl champs following the 2021 season returned to the playoffs for the first time since their title, earning a wild-card bid. The Jets will play the Rams for the first time since 2020 (a 23-20 win) and it will be the first time hosting them since 2016. It will be fun to watch how All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner and CB D.J. Reed matchup with QB Matthew Stafford and his receiver tandem of former Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp and rookie standout Puka Nacua. The duo combined for 164 receptions, 2,223 yards and 11 touchdowns despite Kupp missing 4 games. Nacua set the NFL’s rookie record for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486).
Seattle Seahawks (9-8): The Jets will host the Seahawks for the first time since 2016 with Seattle coming off a season in which it narrowly missed a second-straight trip to the playoffs after losing a tiebreaker to the Packers. Former Jets second-round pick QB Geno Smith managed another strong season and threw for 3,624 yards, 20 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. The Jets traveled to Seattle in 2022 and lost, 23-6.
Denver Broncos (8-9): The Broncos and Jets will meet again for the fourth-straight season and the seventh time in the last eight years. After three straight trips out West, Denver will come to MetLife Stadium for the first time since 2020. The Jets bested the Broncos in Week 8 of this past season, 31-21. Jets Curtis Martin Team MVP Quincy Williams had his best game as a pro with 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 3 QB hits and a forced fumble that CB Bryce Hall returned for a game-sealing touchdown. After a 1-5 start, Denver won 7of its last 11 games to contend for a playoff spot into the final two weeks.
JETS AWAY OPPONENTS (9)
Buffalo Bills (11-6)
Miami Dolphins (11-6)
New England Patriots (4-13)
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8): The Jags hold the series lead, 9-8, and the Jets are 1-5 at Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, fell one game shy of the playoffs with Jacksonville’s loss to the Titans in Week 18 after a miraculous playoff comeback in the 2022 season. Most of Lawrence’s top skill players remain under contact, like TE Evan Engram, who was the only player on the team with at least 100 catches. Jacksonville has a decision to make on WR Calvin Ridley, who has an expiring contract. He led the team with 1,016 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns.
Tennessee Titans (6-11): HC Mike Vrabel’s team was the only one in the AFC South to finish under .500. Tennessee’s roster could look different next season – the Titans may move on from Pro Bowl and All-Pro RB Derrick Henry. This game will feature a pair of the NFL’s best at defensive tackle in Jets’ Pro Bowl and All-Pro Quinnen Williams and Titans Pro Bowl Jeffery Simmons, who totaled 5.5 sacks in 12 games this season.
Arizona Cardinals (4-13): The Cardinals were the only NFC West team to win fewer than 8 games in the 2023 season. The Cardinals might move on from QB Kyler Murray, who played in the team’s final eight games (3-5) coming off an ACL injury, but head coach Jonathan Gannon said he’s committed to Murray. Perhaps Arizona will look to add a playmaker or an offensive lineman with their first-round pick at No. 4 overall.
San Francisco 49ers (12-5): The Jets’ farthest trip will be to the Bay Area where Jets HC Robert Saleh was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers from 2017-20 under Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan’s team finished as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Its high-powered offense is run by QB Brock Purdy, who led the NFL with a 113.0 passer rating, and RB Christian McCaffery, the league leader in rushing yards (1,459). This game will have two of the NFL’s best defenses and linebacker duos in the Jets’ C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams and the 49ers’ Fred Warner, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, and Dre Greenlaw.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7): All four teams in the AFC North finished with a winning record. The Steelers are built around a tough defense that features T.J. Watt, who led the NFL with 19 sacks in the 2023 season. Pittsburgh played three quarterbacks en route to a playoff berth. Kenny Pickett, who will enter his third year out of Pitt, is the team’s starter. It’ll be an interesting matchup between Steelers WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens against Jets CBs Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed.
Minnesota Vikings (7-10): This game could feature a pair of quarterbacks coming off Achilles tendon injuries and their young star receivers in Vikings QB Kirk Cousins and WR Justin Jefferson, and Jets QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Garrett Wilson. Cousins, however, could hit free agency. The last time these teams met was at Minnesota in the 2022 season and Wilson had 162 receiving yards. Rodgers has thrown for 57 touchdowns and 8 interceptions against the Vikings in his career and has a 17-11-1 career record vs. Minnesota.
