Aaron Glenn enters year two off a 3-14 season that was historically bad in ways that are hard to overstate — the Jets did not record a single defensive interception, were outscored by 203 points, and lost each of their final five games by at least 23. Geno Smith is back in green, Minkah Fitzpatrick arrived from Miami, and the mandate is simply to look like a functional NFL team.
The league’s response to all of that shows up in the schedule. Fifteen of New York’s 17 games are set for 1:00 p.m. ET, and there is no prime-time appearance anywhere on the slate. Here’s the full calendar.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) / TV | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun, Sept. 13 | at Tennessee Titans | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 2 | Sun, Sept. 20 | vs. Green Bay Packers | 1:00 p.m. / FOX | — |
| 3 | Sun, Sept. 27 | at Detroit Lions | 1:00 p.m. / FOX | — |
| 4 | Sun, Oct. 4 | at Chicago Bears | 1:00 p.m. / FOX | — |
| 5 | Sun, Oct. 11 | vs. Cleveland Browns | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 6 | Sun, Oct. 18 | at New England Patriots | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 7 | Sun, Oct. 25 | vs. Miami Dolphins | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 8 | Sun, Nov. 1 | vs. Las Vegas Raiders | 1:00 p.m. / FOX | — |
| 9 | Sun, Nov. 8 | at Kansas City Chiefs | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 10 | Sun, Nov. 15 | vs. Buffalo Bills | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 11 | Sun, Nov. 22 | at Los Angeles Chargers | 4:05 p.m. / FOX | — |
| 12 | Sun, Nov. 29 | at Miami Dolphins | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 13 | — | BYE WEEK | — | — |
| 14 | Sun, Dec. 13 | vs. Denver Broncos | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 15 | Sun, Dec. 20 | at Arizona Cardinals | 4:05 p.m. / FOX | — |
| 16 | Sun, Dec. 27 | vs. New England Patriots | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 17 | Sun, Jan. 3 | vs. Minnesota Vikings | 1:00 p.m. / CBS | — |
| 18 | TBD | at Buffalo Bills | TBD | — |
Week 18 dates, times and networks are announced only after Week 17 concludes. Late-afternoon and prime-time windows remain subject to the NFL’s flexible scheduling rules, so this slate can still change during the season.
Games That Will Define the Jets’ Season
| Game | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Week 1 at Tennessee | A winnable road opener against a fellow rebuild. After a three-win year, the difference between 1-0 and 0-1 matters more to this locker room than the standings suggest. |
| Week 9 at Kansas City | The measuring stick. Arrowhead in November is where last year’s Jets would have been buried; a competitive afternoon here says more about Glenn’s rebuild than a win over a bad team. |
| Week 10 vs. Buffalo | New York’s only home date against the division’s standard-bearer, and the front half of a brutal three-week run that also includes a Chargers trip and a Miami road game. |
| Weeks 16-18 vs. NE, vs. MIN, at BUF | The Jets have lost their last five December-into-January stretches badly. Finishing this one respectably is the clearest evidence available that the culture has changed. |
How the Schedule Sets Up
The opening month is about as gentle as this league gets: Tennessee on the road, Green Bay at home, then trips to Detroit and Chicago before Cleveland visits MetLife. Four of the first six are against teams the Jets can plausibly hang with, and Glenn needs early evidence more than most coaches do. The AFC East slate is spread out sensibly — Miami in Weeks 7 and 12, New England in Weeks 6 and 16, Buffalo in Weeks 10 and 18.
The Week 13 bye is the structural problem. Twelve games without a break, including the Kansas City-Buffalo-Chargers-Miami gauntlet in Weeks 9 through 12, is a lot to ask of a young roster. The reward is a soft-looking close: Denver at home, a trip to Arizona, then New England and Minnesota back at MetLife before the finale in Buffalo. For the other side of the Weeks 7 and 12 matchups, see our Miami Dolphins 2026 schedule. Full league dates are at NFL.com.
The Bottom Line
This is a schedule built for a team nobody wants to televise, and that’s fair given what happened last year. The upside is that it’s front-loaded with games the Jets can actually win, and Glenn’s second season will be judged on whether September and October produce something other than blowouts. Twelve straight to open is unforgiving, the Week 9-12 stretch is the hardest on the calendar, and the finale in Buffalo has decided nothing good for this franchise in a long time. Competence first, wins second.