The NFL has released all teams' 2016 preseason opponents, and for the Jets that means three meetings against NFC East opponents — the Redskins, Giants and Eagles — after they get their summer party started at MetLife Stadium with their new featured runner, Matt Forte, going against their former tailback, Chris Ivory, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jets will open the second preseason of the Todd Bowles era against the Jaguars (who signed Ivory as an unrestricted free agent in March) on the weekend of Aug. 11-15. Next will be a road trip to play at Washington, then the annual summer tilt against the Giants — Jets' home game this year — and the annual preseason finale against the Eagles, this time at "the Linc" in South Philly.
For the fourth straight summer, no Jets preseason games will be nationally televised. All games will be televised locally on New York's CBS 2. The exact dates and kickoffs for all four games will be firmed up in the coming weeks. The NFL will release all teams' regular-season schedules later this month.
Preseason Week 1, vs. Jacksonville, MetLife Stadium, Aug. 11-15
The teams have met just once before in the preseason, also at MetLife on Aug. 17, 2013, which the Jets won, 37-13, with Bilal Powell posting a game-leading 68 rushing yards and Kahlil Bell running for two third-quarter touchdowns.
The Jags' only other visits to MetLife were in the 2011 regular season, also won by the Jets, 32-3, with Muhammad Wilkerson executing the first sack of his Green & White career for a safety, and last year, yet another Green & White win, by 28-23 on Ryan Fitzpatrick TD strikes to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker and two Ivory TD runs.
Preseason Week 2, at Washington, FedEx Field, Aug. 18-22
This will be only the Jets' second preseason trip to FedEx, with the first coming in 2006 when they posted a 27-14 win over the Redskins. The teams have played there only two other times in the regular season, in '03 (16-13 'Skins win in NFL's opener that year) and '11 (34-19 Jets win).
The Jets have lost the last two summer affairs to the Redskins, both at home, by 13-10 in 2008 and 16-11 in 2010. Overall, Washington leads the summer series, 5-4.
Preseason Week 3, vs. GIANTS, MetLife Stadium, Aug. 25-28
This is the teams' 48th annual preseason meeting and their fifth MetLife Bowl.
Similar to the Dolphins regular-season pattern that was snapped last year, the last six Jets-Giants preseason games have been won by the "road" team. That streak includes the Green & White's 28-18 triumph last August, built on Fitzpatrick's first two Jets TD passes, to Decker and Zac Stacy, and 50-yards-plus TD returns by Antonio Cromartie (interception of Eli Manning) and Walt Powell (third-quarter punt return).
Prior to the 3-3 split beginning in 2010, the Jets had won 12 of 14. Overall the Jets lead the summer series, 25-21-1, and at home the Green & White hold an 8-5 edge.
Preseason Week 4, at Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field, Sept. 1-2
Last year the Jets prevailed at MetLife, 24-18, with first-half touchdown receptions by Chris Owusu and Zac Stacy from Matt Flynn. (Remember him? It was his only start as a late-summer Jets fill-in.) Josh Johnson (the other QB addition with Flynn), Daryl Richardson and Stacy combined for 216 rushing yards. Rookie LB Deion Barnes had 1.5 sacks, all of Eagles QB Tim Tebow, the former Jet in 2012.
The win improved the Jets' all-time preseason record against the Eagles to 23-14, and 11-3 in the last 14 meetings. Two of those three losses came in their last two visits to the Linc, by 28-10 in '12 and 37-7 in '14. The Jets took the previous five in a row in Philly and are 11-7 all-time on the road in the summer against the Birds.
