New York Jets schedule has them poised for 10-6 finish?

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Apr 23, 2015

With the NFL Schedule Release 2015, the New York Jets have an interesting road ahead of them. Last year, the Jets ended their season at 4-12 and at the bottom of the AFC East. Of course just a year ago the team and overall identity were all one big mess as better times are indeed ahead. How will the Jets actually fair come next season?

Looking at their strength of schedule, the Jets have four primetime games. They have the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football on Sep. 21, a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 4, a Thursday Night Football game against the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 12 and a Saturday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 19.

More from New York Jets

Right off the bat, I can definitely see the Jets pulling out some surprises in these huge nationally televised game. I predict victories over the Colts, Dolphins, Bills but see them losing to the Cowboys. Make no mistake about it, even without DeMarco Murray, the Cowboys will still be one of the top teams in the NFL thanks to their dominating offensive line and stout defense.

Looking at all the other matchups for the Jets, I see victories over the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, one game from the Miami Dolphins and one game from the New England Patriots. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Jets might just squeak into the NFL Playoffs via a wildcard spot come next season.

Now, I fully understand some of the issues that are still going to be a problem for the Jets heading into next season unless they do something huge at the 2015 NFL Draft. At the current moment at quarterback, the Jets have Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Simms. All of which lead to one big question mark at whether any one of them can succeed at the position.

No matter who is under center, the Jets can still win plenty of football games by sticking to their tried and true method of ground-and-pound football. Even though there is some speculation that new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey might install a new spread offense, I just don’t see it happening. If it’s not broke, why fix it?

Nov 30, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws in the pocket against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets will however win a ton of games thanks to all the defensive acquisitions they made this offseason. With a revamped defensive secondary and their famous “Sons of Anarchy” defensive line still intact, the mantra that defense wins championships will resonate across this unit heading into next season.

I also don’t see the Jets making any radical moves at the draft like trading their pick to land quarterback Marcus Mariota. I honestly believe that Fitzpatrick should earn the starting quarterback position for the Jets and let him run this offense using his veteran experience.

I’m confident he can get the job done with a simplified offense and upgrades at wide receiver thanks to Brandon Marshall as their No. 1 option.

Put all that together and I predict the Jets will have quite the turnaround season. With a new head coach in Todd Bowles ready to push this team farther than in the past, the Jets will return to their old-school ways of being a team built on defense, character and running the football straight to victory.

Hopefully, it’ll be enough to actually have them go father than many expect once they make it to the NFL Playoffs and put everything to the ultimate test if they can exceed expectations.

Next: New York Jets: Making the case for Melvin Gordon

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/New York Jets