After facing a rather easy schedule in 2019 ut only going 7-9, the New York Jets will have a brutal slate in 2020.
The Jets’ strength of schedule sits at .533, which is the second-toughest in the league behind the Patriots (.537). The Dolphins have the third toughest strength of schedule at .529. Those numbers are based on each team’s 2020 opponents’ win-loss record from 2019.
Obviously, the Jets will play the Bills, Dolphins and Patriots on the road and at home. The other road opponents include the Colts, Rams, Seahawks, Chargers and Chiefs. The home opponents are the Raiders, Browns, Cardinals, 49ers and Broncos.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the Jets’ four toughest opponents on a schedule that includes very few easy games.
Kansas City Chiefs
It can’t get tougher than facing the defending Super Bowl Champs on the road. The Jets will do just that in Week 8, though.
The Jets will head into Arrowhead Stadium, which is one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. Surprisingly, Kansas City lost three games on its home turf in 2019. However, the Jets haven’t proved that they can win on the road much, only winning two such games last season.
The Jets defense will be on its heels in this one against the reigning MVP, Patrick Mahomes. It’s going to take one impressive gameplan from Gregg Williams for New York to have a shot in this game.
San Francisco 49ers
Not only do the Jets have to face the Super Bowl champs, but they also have go up against the runner-ups.
Luckily for the Jets, it’s a home game against San Francisco in Week 2. But that shouldn’t affect the 49ers much given they only lost one road game last season. The Jets also haven’t fared well against the 49ers over the years. San Francisco leads the series 10-3 and the Jets have only won one game at home over the 49ers. That was in 2004.
This game will be a huge test for Adam Gase’s offense. The 49ers had one of the top defenses in the league last season, led by their front four. The Jets are going to have to find a way to protect Sam Darnold in this one if they want to stand a chance.
Seattle Seahawks
It’s been eight years since the Jets have been to the Emerald City, but they’ll make their return this season.
The Jets will play the Seahawks in Week 14 at 4 p.m. New York hasn’t won in Seattle since 1997. Seattle is coming off a divisional-round loss to the Packers. However, they were only inches away from being the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC playoffs after losing to the 49ers in Week 17.
With Russell Wilson at quarterback, the Seahawks are always a dangerous team. They’ve only missed the playoffs once with Wilson under center. Meanwhile, it’s a home game for the Seahawks, who rarely lose at CenturyLink Field.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are the only non-playoff team of this group of four, but let’s not forget they were in the Super Bowl two years ago.
The Jets will travel to Los Angeles for the second time in Week 15. New York typically doesn’t fare well on the West Coast. In fact, in the past decade, the Jets have won a total of two games in the western time zone against the Raiders and Broncos.
As for the Rams, their offense is still lethal behind mastermind Sean McVay. Gregg Williams’ defense will once again have a difficult matchup with one of the best offensive minds in the sport.
