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Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets have high expectations heading into the 2024 NFL campaign, and their schedule does not change that.
The Jets know exactly what they will be facing in their quest to make their first playoff appearance in 14 years, representing the longest active drought in the NFL. The good news is that New York has one of the most talented rosters in football.
Last season, the Jets were viewed as potential Super Bowl contenders after acquiring Rodgers in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers. However, Rodgers ended up tearing his Achilles on the club's first offensive series of the year, ending New York's championship aspirations.
But now, Rodgers is healthy, and the Jets have supplied him with even more pieces this offseason, adding wide receiver Mike Williams in free agency, fellow wide out Malachi Corley in the draft and patching up the offensive line. Gang Green also further beefed up their defense, swinging a trade for elite edge rusher Haason Reddick.
Rodgers has already set the stage for 2024 and understands that all of the pressure is on him heading into Week 1, especially given the Jets' heavy primetime schedule.
The future Hall-of-Famer has proven that he plays very well when the odds are against him, so the rest of the NFL is certainly on notice.
However, New York obviously has some obstacles to overcome in order to reach then next level this coming season.
The first two weeks of the Jets' schedule will be very difficult
The Jets will open up their season with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. That would be tough enough as it is, but to make matters worse, the game will be in San Francisco. New York may as well take some smelling salts in Week 1.
The 49ers just went to the Super Bowl last February and are widely viewed as the favorites to get back there again next season. The oddsmakers even like them to win the Super Bowl.
For a Jets squad that is trying to find its footing, San Francisco isn't exactly a great introduction.
Of course, one can also argue that this test could be good for Rodgers and Co. right off the bat. The Niners will absolutely be the most difficult team on New York's regular-season schedule, so it may be a good barometer of where the Jets really are.
After playing the 49ers, New York will remain on the road and face the Tennessee Titans in what could absolutely be a trap game depending on what the Jets do in their season opener. The Titans should be much better than last season after making some big moves throughout the offseason. They went just 6-11 in 2023, but they are absolutely not going to be pushovers in 2024 and may even push for a playoff spot.
So, not only will the Jets be on the road for their first two games of the season, but they will do so against a couple of really tough teams. Obviously, the 49ers are in a different league from the Titans, but it doesn't make the Tennessee matchup any easier.
Plus, if New York shocks the world and beats San Francisco in Week 1, a downturn against the Titans the following week would not be out of the realm of possibility.
If the Jets can just get through those first two games and go at least 1-1, things will get much easier. They will then play four straight home games against very beatable opponents, with their toughest contest during that stretch coming against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. Fortunately for Gang Green, the Bills lost a bit of their luster after a mass exodus of players this offseason, so they shouldn't be as challenging as they were last year (and the Jets actually beat Buffalo at the Meadowlands in last year's season opener).
New York is talented enough to log double-digit victories and win an AFC East division title, but where it stands after the first two weeks may end up telling us all we need to know about what the Jets will end up achieving in 2024.
