Forecasting the Jets’ 2017 Season; 5 Bold Predictions

As the New York Jets prepare to kick off what’s sure to be a disastrous season that’s more about player development than wins and losses, we take a look at how the Jets season will unfold along with a few bold predictions and NFL award winners (spoiler alert: There won’t be any Jets picking up any post-season hardware)

Week 1 @ Buffalo Bills:  The Bills win the toss and opt to receive the ball.  Todd Bowles beams from the sidelines as Chandler Catanzaro booms the opening kickoff deep in to the end zone for a touchback.  It’s all down hill from there if Tyrod Taylor is cleared to play.  If it’s rookie fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman, the Jets pull off a close win.  Assuming it’s Peterman, Jets win 14-10 and are off to a 1-0 start.

Week 2 @ Oakland Raiders: The Jets fly west to take on one of the NFL’s best teams and it’s going to be ugly.  The Jets wont’ have any success moving the ball and Derek Carr will be too much for the Jets secondary to handle. Oakland will be up huge by the middle of the 3rd quarter and run the clock out from there, final score is 44-3 as they fall to 1-1.

Week 3 vs Miami Dolphins: A couple of Jay Cutler turnovers help keep this one close, but the Dolphins defensive line beats up Josh McCown and the Jets go to Bryce Petty who makes some plays on the run but not enough.  Dolphins 20 Jets 17 as the Jets sit at 1-2.

Week 4 vs Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jets get off the schneid and pick up a win against one of their top competitors for the number one pick as their defense is too much for the Jaguars to handle.  The Jets offense struggles again but is slightly less atrocious than the Jags.  Jets 20 Jaguars 14 and the Jets get to .500 with a 2-2 record.

Week 5 @ Cleveland Browns: Two weeks in a row facing a top draft choice contender and the Jets are able to do enough to slow down rookie quarterback Deshone Kizer to pull out a win.  In one of the few wins Jets fans get to see in person in 2017, the Jets come out on top, 24-20 and better enjoy this one, because this is the only time they’ll be over .500 this season at 3-2.

Week 6 vs Patriots: Much like the Oakland game, the Jets get their doors blown off with the Patriots giving Jimmy Garoppolo some mop up reps late in the game.  If Josh McCown is back in the line-up by this point, it’s a good chance to get some garbage time reps for Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg as well.  Patriots 45 Jets 10, and it’s not really that close, jets fall to 3-3.

Week 7 @ Miami Dolphins: On the road to face Cutelr this time, who is more comfortable in his new surroundings and doesn’t need to do a whole lot to beat the Jets and their stagnant offense.  Dolphins come out on top 17-6 and the Jets are 3-4.

Week 8 vs Atlanta Falcons: Vic Beasley terrorizes Jets quarterbacks all day as Matt Ryan has little trouble against a Jets defense that has come to the reality that if they’re not flawless, the team has no chance.  Jets fall to 3-5 in 31-17 loss.

Week 9 vs Buffalo Bills: The Jets beat the Bills in the opener and Buffalo gets the split with a win at MetLife.  The Bills let Shady McCoy do his thing and eat up Jets linebackers coming out of the backfield to make big plays in the passing game.  After the 20-13 loss, the Jets are 3-6.

Week 10 @ Tampa Bay: The Bucs have too much offense for the Jets to contend with as Jameis Winston uses DeSean Jackson,  Mike Evans and OJ Howard to pick apart a Jets defense that will already be showing signs of wear and tear from the offenses inability to sustain drives all season long.  Bucs win, 28-13 and the Jets fall to 3-7.

Week 11 Bye: If he’s not already the QB as a result of injuries, Christian Hackenberg gets the keys for the rest of the way.

Week 12 vs Carolina: The Panthers will be looking to return to the levels of the NFL elite that they occupied just two seasons ago and hope to be rolling by this point.  The Jets defense looks solid early on, but they wear down late in the first half as Hackenberg fails to produce more than a couple of first downs.  The Panthers give the tired Jets defense a heavy dose of Christian McCaffrey in a 27-3 win with the Jets dropping to 3-8.

Week 13 vs Kansas City: The always efficient Alex Smith comes to town and Andy Reid uses a variety of screen passes to create mismatches against the likes of Demario Davis and Jordan Jenkins.  The Chiefs control the clock and the offense sputters under Hackenberg once again.  Chiefs 27 Jets 9 as the Jets are already just one loss shy of double digits at 3-9.

Week 14 @ Denver: The Jets catch a break in getting to face a team with an iffy quarterback situation but it’s only enough to keep the game close before denver runs away with it late in the 4th quarter.  Denver’s pass rush and the thin Colorado air prove to be too much to overcome. Hackenberg has his worst game as a pro as the Jets fall to 3-10 in 20-0 loss.

Week 15 @ New Orleans: Finally a bit of life shown by the offense as Hackenberg gets to play indoors against a team with a consistently terrible defense.  It’s not a win for Gang Green, but watching Hackenberg lead a couple of touchdown drives gives his supporters something to hang their hats on in the 30-20 loss as the Jets now sit at 3-11.

Week 16 vs Los Angeles Chargers: Hackenberg comes back down to earth as the offense sputters in the teams 12th loss, a 24-9 defeat in the final home game of the season, falling to 3-12.

Week 17 @ New England Patriots: The Patriots have a chance to hurt the Jets draft position and unless they’re flirting with history at 15-0, Bill Belichick and company do everything they can to let the Jets come away with a win. However, with this being one of the most miserable seasons in team history, it would only be right for the Patriots to be 15-0 and looking for another 16-0 campaign.  The Patriots pull their starters after the half and coast to a 28-10 victory.  The Jets finish the season at 3-13.

Five Bold Predictions:

• Rookie running back Elijah McGuire will lead the Jets in rushing yards
• Lac Edwards will make a push to establish a new NFL record with 115 punts
• Bryce Petty will play at some point, and will play well enough to solidify himself as at least a quality NFL backup.
• A career back-up and special teamer, Josh Martin will notch a career-high 8 sacks.
• By season’s end, rookie cornerback Derrick Jones, who many felt was practice squad material, will start at some point and will show big time potential, though he’ll mostly struggle as he learns the position.
• Marcus Maye has earned rave reviews from the day training camp started.  He’ll play well, but he’ll get beat deep more than people expect.

Agree?  Disagree?  Click here to log on to our forums and lets us know how YOU think the Jets season will unfold.

Glenn Naughton

Glenn was Born in the Bronx, New York and has followed the Jets religiously despite being stationed in several different countries and time zones around the world. He now resides in England and has been a JetNation member since 2005. Glenn will bleed green with the rest of us through the highs and lows.

See Full Bio