The New York Jets may be sitting at 2-3, but the bigger picture around this team has been mixed rather than disastrous. There have been enough encouraging signs to keep the season from feeling like a lost cause, and with a pair of important draft picks in hand - their own plus selections from the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts - there’s still a path to adding real talent if they decide a franchise quarterback is there for the taking.
Still, one ugly part of the Jets’ story keeps staring them in the face: the AFC East. That’s where the numbers get brutal, and where the franchise’s recent history looks even worse than the record suggests.
Brian Costello of the New York Post laid it out plainly while looking ahead to the Jets’ trip to Foxborough to face the Patriots. Gillette Stadium has been a nightmare venue for New York, with the Jets winning there just once in the last 16 seasons.
And the broader division picture is even harsher. As Costello wrote, “For the Jets to become a contender, they are going to have to conquer their division demons.
The Jets are 13-47 against AFC East opponents in the last 10 years (since 2016). They are 4-26 in division road games.
The last time they had a winning record in the division was 2010 when they made their last trip to the playoffs. The Jets are 0-6 against the AFC East under Aaron Glenn, going 0-for last year against the Bills, Patriots and Dolphins,”
That’s the hurdle for the Jets now. If this team is going to turn promise into something more, it has to start changing the story inside its own division.
In Other News...
Jets Roster Churn Is Creating A Problem At The Worst Time
In a season already marked by constant turnover, the Jets are trying to keep the bottom of the roster from unraveling while key contributors work through injuries. AD Mitchell had finger surgery and is set to miss his fourth straight game, and the injury list around him is still crowded, with Breece Hall, Joseph Ossai and Dylan Parham all week-to-week while Kenyon Sadiq remains in concussion protocol.
The roster churn has already forced the Jets to keep shuffling answers, including bringing veteran linebacker Troy Reeder back to the practice squad after a brief split. There are at least a few bright spots around the edges, with David Bailey earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors and PFF floating a mock draft that imagines the Jets adding CJ Carr, Will Echoles and Ellis Robinson IV in the first round, but for now the bigger concern is simply surviving the week with enough healthy bodies. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Lose The Injury Break They Needed Against New England
For a Jets team already dealing with a list of week-to-week injuries, the latest news out of New England hardly helps. The Patriots opened the practice window for wide receiver A.J. Brown, who had been recovering from a high-ankle sprain, and he was back on the field Wednesday as the week moved toward the matchup with New York.
Christian Gonzalez also returned to practice and is expected to be ready for the Jets, while left tackle Will Campbell appears to be back in the mix after earlier injury concerns. For New York, which has Dylan Parham, Breece Hall, Adonai Mitchell and Joseph Ossai all unlikely to play, the injury report is starting to look more like a disadvantage than the break the Jets were hoping to catch. [Read more 🡒]
Garrett Wilson Made Clear What Patriots Game Means For The Jets
The Jets are heading into their first AFC East divisional game of the season with a familiar sense of urgency, and Garrett Wilson made sure the matchup with New England sounds like more than just another early-season date on the schedule. New York has had its share of recent division issues, and for a team trying to establish itself under Aaron Glenn, this is the kind of game that can start shaping the tone of the year.
There is also a clear on-field pressure point beyond the rivalry factor. The Jets defense has generated only one interception in the Aaron Glenn era, while Drake Maye has already put up seven this season, leaving New York with a real test in the secondary as it prepares for a Patriots offense that has shown more bite than in recent years. For a team still searching for traction in the AFC East, the margin for error in this one feels awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]