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New York Jets: 3 Reasons not to analyze the schedule now

By Michael Pallas

FLORHAM PARK, NJ - AUGUST 07: A New York Jets helmet at NY Jets Practice Facility on August 7, 2011 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
FLORHAM PARK, NJ - AUGUST 07: A New York Jets helmet at NY Jets Practice Facility on August 7, 2011 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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The NFL Schedule was released, and people are burying the New York Jets way too early.

It’s time to overreact. The NFL schedule was officially released on Thursday. The New York Jets begin the season with three games in 10 days, and fans are already up in arms. We knew who they were playing before the schedule was released. So, to say this schedule is “brutal” based on last year’s standings is ridiculous.

Is three games in 10 days a bit much? Maybe, but it’s just the first hurdle for a young team to climb.

Let’s examine the schedule and see why there’s really no need to panic.

3. Playoff turnover

Many fans like to look at the playoff teams that are on their schedule, but before the announcement of who the Jets were going to play, we knew four of their games would be against playoff teams. The Bills and Patriots are in the division. Then the NFL added the Jaguars, Lions, Vikings, and Titans to make it a total of eight games against playoff teams.

That is actually meaningless, though. The NFL typically has somewhere between four and six teams that change in the playoffs from year to year. So, just because they were playoff teams last year, it doesn’t mean they will be again.

2. Roster turnover

In the NFL, roster turnover is constant. Teams aren’t the same from year to year. Even additions that look good on paper may turn out to be mismatches for the teams. So you can talk about the players added and/or subtracted from teams that “made them better,” but we really don’t know how the new players will actually fit until they hit the field.

The players the Jets added could be perfect fits together, and it all works out. We won’t know for a long time. The 90-man rosters aren’t even set yet.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Full 7-Round projection

1. Injuries

Sometimes teams get really lucky and stay relatively healthy for the entire season. There are other times where a rash of injuries hits teams. What if key players get hurt on the opponents of the Jets before they play them? What if the Jets are one of those lucky teams that stays relatively healthy?

It’s a 24-hour news cycle, and everyone needs to have their opinions heard and be out there right away, but let’s hold up on the doom and gloom scenario. It may not be as bad as it looks.

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