Nike, New York Jets, people on football stadium during daytime, Rodgers, Aaron Rodgers
Photo by Izaac Crayton on Unsplash

Will the Jets Surprise or Disappoint in 2022?

How do you feel about surprises? I generally am not one who enjoys surprises all that much and I think it stems from the time my parents tried to throw me a surprise Sweet 16 Party and, in an effort to keep it a secret, my friends just decided that not talking to me at all was the best way to go about it.

I, being 15 years old at the time and having no idea what was going on, went from having a bunch of friends to seemingly none overnight. It was confusing, somewhat traumatizing and it’s exactly the thing that made me hate surprises from that day forward. In case you are wondering, the party was great and all was eventually right in my world again. 

Lately though, if there is one thing I can rely on, it’s the fact that the New York Jets season is usually over by Halloween - so no surprise there. Having your season end before we even get out of October is incredibly depressing for a fan base, so I have to wonder if this season will be any different. Will the Jets surprises everyone around the NFL or are we in for more of the same this season? 

Why The Jets Will Surprise

Smart Talent on Jets Roster

Credit to the Jets front office and scouting team for having a fantastic draft. GM Joe Douglas gets a lot of criticism sometimes, but I think people forget the complete mess he inherited from Idzik and Maccagnan, so it’s only fair to give him a little bit of credit here.

The Jets also played it smart in free agency by not going for the showy superstars but by taking a measured approached to filling their needs. The Jets saved the showstopping moves for the draft which has given this team a much-needed boost of roster talent. I think the 2009-10 season was the last time the Jets had this much talent. 

Running Backs Still Matter 

In todays NFL, it’s easy to forget about the good ol’ ground and pound game. We have become so accustomed to the high-powered passing attacks that it seems like the run game has become an afterthought. If you need a reminder on just how important the run game is, look at the likes of Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor who literally carry their teams on their backs.

Luckily, the Jets have two very talented ball carriers in Breece Hall and Michael Carter whom many expect to thrive in Mike LaFleur’s 49ers-esque offense. If the Jets can get the run game going, that will take a tremendous amount of pressure off quarterback Zach Wilson and the defense. 

Robert Saleh & Mike LaFleur 

Robert Saleh has made it perfectly clear that he has a vision for this team and every player on it and he plans on holding everyone accountable for executing that vision on the field. Also, look for Mike LaFleur to implement a very similar offensive system like he did in San Francisco. You know, the kind of offense that turns relatively unknown guys into success stories. 

Why The Jets Will Disappoint 

You Play Who’s On The Jets Schedule 

You can’t control who you play, all you can control is your execution of the game plan. That’s nice in theory and it’s probably a mindset that goes over pretty well in say the Kansas City Chiefs locker room, but unfortunately for the Jets their schedule is one of the toughest in the league.

Weeks 1-9 look to be an absolute nightmare as they will face the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills, all before their bye in week 10.

It gets a little easier after the bye, but the Jets will have to win all four games against the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jags, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks along with splitting their divisional games if they want a shot at a winning record. 

Defense 

The Jets defense was pretty bad all-around last year and given the fact they are playing some of the best offenses in the league this season, it needs to drastically improve sooner rather than later. I don’t have much hope for the run defense as I can see it being more of the same, but I do think the pass defense will take a step forward.

The Jets pass defense was in the top 10 of the league last season and they will need to continue to improve upon that success and get to the opposing quarterback. Let’s not forget the Jets face the Ravens in Week 1, and trying to contain Lamar Jackson is a nightmare in itself. 

Zach Wilson 

It all starts with the quarterback, and it doesn’t matter what team it is. Zach Wilson had an incredibly disappointing rookie season, but last year’s roster didn’t offer much help and sometimes these rookie quarterbacks are just not game ready, despite what we have all been conditioned to think.

Here’s the good news for Wilson though; he doesn’t need to become Pat Mahomes for the Jets to succeed, he just needs to be a decent game manager and that will make a tremendous amount of difference. If Wilson can reduce the number of interceptions and sacks, the Jets stand a chance.

Of course, there is always the possibility that Wilson makes some improvements, but still makes mistakes, as most young quarterbacks tend to do. However, the Jets are playing the AFC North and making costly mistakes against those teams is enough to cost the Jets their season. 

So Will The Jets Surprise? 

Will the Jets end their 11-year playoff drought? No. Will the Jets improve their win record? Yes. Granted, they only won four games last year, so the bar is set pretty low, but I think we just need to see consistent improvement especially from teams that are in re-build mode.

While it does feel like the Jets have been in re-build mode since Broadway Joe, I think this is the year they start to turn the corner. Unfortunately for the Jets, their schedule alone is enough to make me question where even four wins will come from, but if last year was rock bottom, then the Jets can only go up from here. 

Realist Win Prediction: 

Five or six wins: to be fair, if the schedule was a little more favorable, I would go at least eight wins.