Events

The Jets, soaring toward relevance, head for New England

New York hasn't been a factor in the AFC East over recent seasons, but a strong start suggests the Jets aren't the division's doormat in 2022.

Robert Saleh appears to have the Jets on the right flight path in his second season as New York's head coach.

By Dave D'Onofrio

1 minute to read

In early October, the New York Jets did something they hadn’t done in more than 1,000 days: They beat a team in their own division. 

With that win, Gang Green suggested that maybe, just maybe, they’re a relevant competitor in the AFC East — but before they can truly make such an assertion they’ll need to prove themselves over a three-game stretch that ends in Foxborough on Nov. 20.

That afternoon, New York will visit New England to face the Patriots for the second time in three weeks, with the first coming on Oct. 30 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Between those two encounters the Jets will host the Bills, the Patriots will host the Colts, and each team will take a bye-week break before battling at Gillette Stadium.

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Led by second-year coach Robert Saleh, the Jets opened eyes in early October, particularly in snapping that protracted divisional drought with a 40-17 throttling of the Dolphins, then following that up with a convincing victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field. Quarterback Zach Wilson returned from injury in time for those triumphs, but the former No. 2 overall pick didn’t have much to do with the resurgence. Rather, it was running back Breece Hall and a defense led by linebacker C.J. Mosley that keyed the surge.

As the ex-HC of the NYJ, Bill Belichick never needs additional motivation when the Jets show up on the schedule — but this time the Border War isn’t just back. This time it might actually mean something.

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