The New York Jets' 2022 schedule was released by the NFL Thursday evening. The Green & White will open at home, on the 21st anniversary of 9-11, against the Baltimore Ravens, finish on the road against the Miami Dolphins and host a Week 15 Thursday night prime time game against the Jacksonville Jaguars that will be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Also in a rare scheduling quirk, the Jets will start the season with four consecutive games against the AFC North: Week 1 vs. Baltimore, Week 2 at Cleveland, Week 3 vs. Cincinnati and Week 4 at Pittsburgh.
Seven of the Jets' 17 games will be against 2021 playoff teams as they'll have their annual two-game sets with the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots in addition to a home game against the Bengals and a road date at the Packers in Green Bay as well as the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Here are updated thumbnails on the Jets' 17 games against their 14 different opponents for the new season (2021 season and applicable away/home records in parentheses)
Week 1 | Sept. 11 @ 1 p.m. vs. Baltimore Ravens (8-9, 3-5): This will be the first time LB C.J. Mosley will line up against his former team. Mosley, the Jets Team MVP in 2021, is coming off a career year with 168 tackles, which ranked fourth in the NFL. Baltimore, depleted by injuries last season, should have RB J.K. Dobbins (knee) back in the fold but will be without WR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, traded to Arizona on draft night. Ravens star QB Lamar Jackson went 2-4 on the road last season, completing 60.4% of his passes while throwing for 5 TDs and 3 INTs.
Week 2 | Sept. 18 @ 1 p.m. at Cleveland Browns (9-8, 6-3): The Browns made a huge move in the offseason, landing one of the NFL's most talented players in QB Deshaun Watson. If Watson is eligible to play, he'll see a vastly improved Jets' edge group that will get back a healthy Carl Lawson and added Jacob Martin in free agency plus Jermaine Johnson and Michael Clemons in the draft.
Week 3 | Sept. 25 @ 1 p.m. vs. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7, 5-3): The Jets took down the AFC Champions on Halloween at MetLife last season, 34-31. New CBs D.J. Reed and Sauce Gardner will get a crack at one of the best WR corps in the NFL in Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd as DE Carl Lawson and TE C.J. Uzomah will line up against their former team. The Green & White have won 10 of their last 11 meetings against the Bengals, outscoring them 295-185.
"This team in here, they're hungry," Uzomah said of his new club. "I have not seen a work ethic like that in a while… Coming in here, I'm trying to carry on from what I did last year, implement that in this organization and win the whole thing."
Week 4 | Oct. 2 @ 1 p.m. at Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1, 6-2-1): The Steelers under Mike Tomlin have been the definition of sustained success as Coach T has led the Steelers to 15 consecutive seasons of finishing .500 or above. During his tenure, the Steelers have made the postseason 10 times, appeared in the Super Bowl twice and were XLIII champions. In Saleh's first season as head coach, the Jets embraced a youth movement while ranking No. 1 in starts from rookies/first year players (76) and second in total snaps (5,675).
GM Joe Douglas said of Saleh: "We're fortunate to call him a teammate and really can't praise him and his staff enough for the player development job they took on this year, a monumental player development task with as many first- and second-year players that we had. He and his staff, they didn't tip their toe in the cannonballed in.' water — they cannonballed in."
Week 5 | Oct. 9 @ 1 p.m. vs. Miami Dolphins (9-8, 3-5): Like the Bills, this is expected to be Wilson's first start against the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. With Wilson on the sideline in a 24-17 defeat last November, Moore broke out in front of the home crowd with 8 catches, 141 yards and a 62-yard touchdown, the Jets' longest reception of the season. This will be Mike McDaniel's first trip to East Rutherford as the Dolphins' head coach. McDaniel worked side-by-side with Jets HC Robert Saleh, OC Mike LaFleur and OL/run game coordinator John Benton in San Francisco from 2017-20.
"Mike is phenomenal," Saleh said when asked of McDaniel at the Senior Bowl. "His mindset, the way he creates things, his creativity, his outside-the-box thinking, his ability to communicate with people, he's as good as they get."
Week 6 | Oct. 16 @ 1 p.m. at Green Bay Packers (13-4, 8-0): Connections run deep among these coaching staffs. Saleh and GB HC Matt LaFleur were grad assistants together at Central Michigan and were groomsmen in each other's weddings. Matt is the elder brother of the Jets' talented young OC, Mike LaFleur.
"I think he has a really bright future in front of him," Matt LaFleur said of Mike this offseason. "He's about the right things, number one, he's a good person, and he puts the work in. He invests in his players and I think he has a really bright mind… We are always pushing each other and we talk a lot of ball."
Week 7 | Oct. 23 @ 4:05 p.m. at Denver Broncos (7-10, 4-5): After 10 seasons in Seattle, QB Russell Wilson is the head Bronco in Denver. In 14 games last season, Wilson threw for 3,113 yards with 25 TDs and 6 INTs. The Jets were shut out, 26-0, at Denver in Week 3 last season. But they started to grow up last year as seven of the Jets' final eight games were within a score in the fourth quarter as opposed to just four of the first nine games. The bar has been set for a more competitive club in 2022.
"We need to be playing meaningful games in December," Douglas said before he was lauded for an outstanding draft. "I think with where we were and a couple of the moves we made recently; we expect to be playing in a lot more close games."
Week 8 | Oct. 30 @ 1 p.m. vs. New England Patriots (10-7, 6-2): The Jets turned to the ground last season at home against the Patriots, running 31 times for 152 yards (4.9 avg). Second-year RB Michael Carter led the backs with 59 yards on 11 carries (5.4 avg) in a 25-6 loss while the Jets defense held QB Mac Jones to 186 yards and 0 TDs.
Week 9 | Nov. 6 @ 1 p.m. vs. Buffalo Bills (11-6, 5-3): QB Zach Wilson is expected to make his first against the Bills at MetLife Stadium in what could mark Jamison Crowder's return after a three-year run in green and white. WRs Corey Davis and Elijah Moore combined for 8 catches, 137 yards and 1 TD in the teams' Week 10 matchup last year.
Week 11 | Nov. 20 @ 1 p.m. at New England Patriots (10-7, 4-5): The Pats finished just 4-5 at home last season but were able to push the Bills wire-to-wire for AFC East supremacy. While New England has been synonymous with strong tight end play for years, the Jets have made substantial upgrades at the position the signings of C.J. Uzomah (49-493-10.1-5TD) and Tyler Conklin (61-593-9.7-3TD) plus the third-round selection of Ohio State's Jeremy Ruckert.
Week 12 | Nov. 27 @ 1 p.m. vs. Chicago Bears (6-11, 3-6): This game features a pair of 2021 first-round signal-callers in Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick, and Justin Fields, No. 11 overall. The Bears are in transition as they enter the season with a new general manager in Ryan Poles and head coach in Matt Eberflus. Jets tackles George Fant and Mekhi Becton will be tasked to contain OLB Robert Quinn, who had 18.5 sacks last season and has registered 3 sacks in 5 games against the Green & White.
Week 13 | Dec. 4 @ 1 p.m. at Minnesota Vikings (8-9, 5-3): Last August, Douglas shipped TE Chris Herndon and a sixth-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for a Vikings fourth-round pick. In 16 games last season, Herndon had 4 catches and 1 TD. The Jets ended up signing the Vikings' most productive TE in free agency as Conklin set career highs with 61 receptions, 593 yards and 3 TDs. They used their fourth-rounder from the Vikes to take Clemons (No. 117) while Minnesota grabbed Illinois T Verdrian Love with pick No. 184, which they acquired from the Jets.
Week 14 | Dec. 11 @ 1 p.m. at Buffalo Bills (11-6, 5-3): Saleh wants to close the gap in the AFC East and the Jets have put the pieces around Wilson to take a second-year leap. Buffalo saw it happen with Josh Allen, who completed 52.8% passes his rookie year for 2,074 yards with 10 TDs and 12 INTs. In Allen's second campaign, he upped his passing numbers to 58.8%, 3,089 yards and 20 TDs and 9 INTs. Wilson ended Year 1 protecting the football, finishing with five consecutive games without an interception.
See the 2022 Jets season in photos.
Week 15 | Dec. 18 @ 1 p.m. vs. Detroit Lions (3-13-1, 0-8-1): The two teams that coached in the Senior Bowl will square off at MetLife. The game could feature a pair of former Ohio State wideouts in the Jets' Garrett Wilson, the No. 10 overall pick, and Lions' Jameson Williams, the No. 12 pick. Wilson and Williams played together for the Buckeyes before Williams transferred to Alabama.
Week 16 | Dec. 22 @ 8:15 p.m. vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14, 0-8): Trevor Lawrence and Wilson, the first two picks in the 2021 draft, will against play against each other at MetLife. The Jets beat the Jaguars, 26-21, the day after Christmas in Week 16 as Carter eclipsed 100 rushing yards (118) for the first time in his career. Wilson ran for a franchise record 91 yards and his 52-yard rushing score was the longest by a QB in franchise history. The interior of the Jets offensive line, which may feature the NFL's best guard combination with LG Laken Tomlinson and RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, will be in focus, lining up against a familiar face in DT Folorunso Fatukasi and against Travon Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in 2022..
Week 17 | Jan. 1 @ 4:05 p.m. at Seattle Seahawks (7-10, 3-5): The trade that sent Jamal Adams to Seattle in July of 2020 is now complete. The Jets, who used Seattle's 2020 first-round pick in order to move up and select Vera-Tucker last April, took Ohio State standout Garrett Wilson with the 'Hawks' first-rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft. (No. 10 overall). Adams had 9.5 sacks in 2020 with the 'Hawks, but Seattle dropped a wild-card contest to the Rams in the playoffs. Adams had a pair or interceptions last season but no sacks in 11 games before being placed on injured reserve in December.
Week 18 | Jan 7 or 8 @ 1 p.m. at Miami Dolphins (9-8, 6-3): Both the Jets and the Dolphins pursued Tyreek Hill in the offseason before the Cheetah landed in Miami. The Green & White will be better equipped to handle Hill, Jaylen Waddle and company following the free agent signing of D.J. Reed and the drafting of Cincinnati CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner with the No. 3 overall selection.
"I'm going to take another step this year," Reed said. "I'd call myself a young veteran. I play smart because I know the game and I communicate and want to learn and I'm still learning, but on top of that, I'm only 25 years old, so I'm still young."