Honestly, looking back at the new york jets schedule 2024, it feels like a fever dream that started with Super Bowl hype and ended with a pink slip for almost everyone in the building. You remember how it began, right? Aaron Rodgers was healthy. The defense was supposed to be historic. We all circled those six primetime games on the calendar, thinking "this is finally the year."
Instead, it was a 5-12 train wreck.
The schedule was actually pretty brutal right out of the gate, and the Jets never really caught their breath. They opened on the road against the 49ers on Monday Night Football—a 32-19 reality check—and things just sort of spiraled from there.
The High Hopes of September
September started with a thud in San Francisco, but for a second, it looked like the team might actually figure it out. They went to Tennessee in Week 2 and scraped out a 24-17 win. Then came the home opener.
MetLife was shaking.
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Thursday Night Football against the Patriots in Week 3 was probably the only time all season Jets fans actually felt happy. Rodgers looked like the old Rodgers. They won 24-3. It felt like the start of something big. But looking at the new york jets schedule 2024 now, that was the peak. It was all downhill once October hit.
The London Disaster and the Saleh Firing
If you want to pinpoint exactly where the season died, it was Week 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Jets went to London to face the Vikings and Rodgers threw three interceptions. They lost 23-17, and Woody Johnson had seen enough.
He fired Robert Saleh two days later.
It was a move that shocked basically everyone because the Jets were 2-3 at the time. Not great, but not "fire your coach on a Tuesday" bad. Jeff Ulbrich took over as the interim, but the change didn't provide the spark ownership wanted. They immediately lost a heartbreaker to the Bills on Monday Night (23-20) and then got absolutely dismantled by the Steelers 37-15.
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A Schedule That Offered No Mercy
One thing people forget about the new york jets schedule 2024 is how many short weeks they had to deal with. They had three different stretches with only a few days of rest between games.
- Week 1 to Week 2: Monday night in Cali, then Sunday in Nashville.
- Week 2 to Week 3: Sunday road game followed by a Thursday home game.
- Week 8 to Week 9: Sunday in Foxborough, then Thursday vs. Houston.
That's a lot of travel and very little recovery time for a 40-year-old quarterback. Even after they traded for Davante Adams in mid-October, the offense just couldn't stay in sync. They beat the Texans 21-13 on Halloween—which featured that insane Garrett Wilson one-handed catch—but then they went to Arizona and got embarrassed 31-6.
The Long Slide to 5-12
By the time the bye week rolled around in Week 12, the season was essentially over. Joe Douglas, the GM who built this roster, was fired on November 19 after the team blew a lead to the Colts.
The back half of the new york jets schedule 2024 was just a series of "what ifs."
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They lost to the Seahawks 26-21. They lost to the Dolphins in overtime 32-26. They did manage to beat a struggling Jaguars team 32-25 in Week 15, but then they got handled by the Rams (19-9) and the Bills (40-14).
Final Results and Record
| Week | Opponent | Result | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @ San Francisco 49ers | L | 19-32 | 0-1 |
| 2 | @ Tennessee Titans | W | 24-17 | 1-1 |
| 3 | New England Patriots | W | 24-3 | 2-1 |
| 4 | Denver Broncos | L | 9-10 | 2-2 |
| 5 | @ Minnesota Vikings (London) | L | 17-23 | 2-3 |
| 6 | Buffalo Bills | L | 20-23 | 2-4 |
| 7 | @ Pittsburgh Steelers | L | 15-37 | 2-5 |
| 8 | @ New England Patriots | L | 22-25 | 2-6 |
| 9 | Houston Texans | W | 21-13 | 3-6 |
| 10 | @ Arizona Cardinals | L | 6-31 | 3-7 |
| 11 | Indianapolis Colts | L | 27-28 | 3-8 |
| 12 | BYE | - | - | 3-8 |
| 13 | Seattle Seahawks | L | 21-26 | 3-9 |
| 14 | @ Miami Dolphins | L | 26-32 (OT) | 3-10 |
| 15 | @ Jacksonville Jaguars | W | 32-25 | 4-10 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Rams | L | 9-19 | 4-11 |
| 17 | @ Buffalo Bills | L | 14-40 | 4-12 |
| 18 | Miami Dolphins | W | 32-20 | 5-12 |
What Really Happened With the Defense?
Everyone blamed the offense—and yeah, they were 24th in scoring—but the defense regressed too. They lost Jermaine Johnson to an Achilles tear in Week 2, which was a massive blow. While Will McDonald IV had a breakout year with 10.5 sacks, the unit as a whole just didn't have that "don't break" attitude they had in 2023.
They finished 20th in points allowed. For a team that was supposed to be carried by its defense, that's just not going to get it done.
The season mercifully ended with a 32-20 win over the Dolphins at home. It meant nothing for the standings, but Rodgers finished with 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns on the year. Statistically, it looks like a decent season for him, but when you're 5-12, the stats are just empty calories.
Actionable Next Steps for Jets Fans
The 2024 season is in the books, and it was a tough pill to swallow. If you're looking forward to how the team fixes this mess, here is what to keep an eye on:
- Watch the Coaching Search: With Aaron Glenn coming in as the new head coach, expect a shift in the "culture of fear" that players reportedly complained about in the NFLPA surveys.
- Monitor the 7th Overall Pick: The Jets have a high draft choice in 2025. They desperately need offensive line depth or a long-term successor to Rodgers.
- Follow the Cap Space: The team has some flexibility to bring in free agents, particularly at safety and on the interior defensive line where they were bullied in the run game during the 2024 campaign.
The new york jets schedule 2024 was a masterclass in how quickly things can fall apart in the NFL. Hopefully, the 2025 slate brings a little more luck and a lot more wins.