New York Jets: Predicting every game of the 2018 season
Week 14 at Buffalo, Dec. 9
Orchard Park is always a tough place to place when the cold winds of late Autumn blow in off Lake Erie. It’s also very tough to sweep a divisional opponent during the season. The Bills have won four of the last five against Gang Green in upstate New York. On the bright side for the Jets, Terrelle Pryor enjoys his best game of the season with seven receptions for 86 yards and a score.
However, by this point in the season, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen will have found his footing. In this contest, he tosses a 35-yard scoring strike to Kelvin Benjamin. LeSean McCoy adds 90 yards rushing and a touchdown to power the Bills to a 17-10 win. Record: 7-6
Week 15 vs. Houston, Dec. 15
This is a Saturday game with enormous playoff implications on both sides. The Jets lead the all-time series, 5-2 but have dropped the last two matchups. This should be a high-scoring affair. The Texans are loaded with star players: J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson, just to name a few.
Watson records three touchdown passes, two to Hopkins but it isn’t quite enough as Sam Darnold enjoys his best outing as a pro — three touchdown passes (two to Robby Anderson) and a rushing score as the Jets soar to a thrilling 38-34 victory. Record: 8-6
Week 16 vs. Green Bay, Dec. 23
The Jets welcome in the best quarterback in the NFL (with all apologies to Tom Brady) in Aaron Rodgers. Bah, Humbug! Anyway, New York owns an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series but the Pack has not visited East Rutherford since 2010 (a 9-0 win). T
his game should have a tremendous playoff atmosphere but the combination of Rodgers, Davante Adams and Jimmy Graham will be a little too much for Gang Green. Rodgers tosses touchdown passes to Adams, Graham and Randall Cobb as Green Bay spoils Christmas for the home squad, 31-24. Record: 8-7
Next. NFL 2018: Power ranking the 8 divisions. dark
Week 17 at New England, Dec. 30
For the second-straight year, the Jets close out the regular season in Foxboro. Never an easy task. The Patriots may be playing for home field advantage throughout the playoffs so their motivation level will be high. Expect Gang Green to rise to the occasion and play New England very tough.
Sam Darnold finishes an excellent rookie campaign with a pair of touchdown passes and a quarterback sneak for a touchdown, but Tom Brady is a little better. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer records three TD passes and halfback Rex Burkhead bursts into the end zone from 12 yards out late in the fourth quarter to send the Pats to a 34-28 triumph.
Final Record: 8-8 (out of the playoffs)