The NFL is on the lookout for a do-over from 2023 with the Jets.
That’s mainly what Mike North, the NFL vice chairman of broadcast planning, stated Thursday on a Zoom name with reporters in regards to the league giving the Jets six primetime video games within the first 11 weeks of the season, one thing that no workforce has ever had earlier than.
“That’s an terrible lot of primetime video games early within the season,” North stated, “however clearly we really feel just like the Jets form of owe us one. We had this dialog a yr in the past. All of us had been all in on the Jets. For that man [Aaron Rodgers] to final 4 performs was disheartening for many people.”
That remark that the “Jets form of owe us one” shouldn’t be going to go over properly in Florham Park.
The Jets had 5 primetime video games final season, plus a standalone sport on Black Friday. Rodgers tore his left Achilles in Week 1 on “Monday Night time Soccer” in opposition to the Payments and all of the sudden the Jets had been a a lot much less engaging workforce, however they had been already in these primetime home windows.
This yr, North stated the networks are all on the lookout for a bit of the Rodgers return storyline and that led to the early scheduling of primetime video games.
North additionally raised the purpose that the Jets could get greater than six primetime video games if they continue to be related later within the season, when the league flexes video games into primetime.
“[We] really feel like we will run it again and definitely our broadcast companions, once they got here to us early within the course of speaking about what storylines they wish to concentrate on early within the season, clearly Aaron Rodgers’ return was a key one for everyone,” North stated. “Everyone was form of on the lookout for an early-season Aaron Rodgers alternative and the Jets had been feisty final yr.”
The Jets are one in all three groups with six primetime video games. The 49ers and Cowboys are the others. San Francisco is the defending NFC champion and Dallas has made the playoffs in three straight seasons. The Jets have a 13-year playoff drought, so they’re a dangerous choose for the NFL to highlight.
“There’s no query we’re relying on them,” North stated. “Hopefully [Rodgers] stays wholesome and hopefully they’re related. That’s a variety of primetime early within the season and it might not be the top of it. You concentrate on their stretch down the backend. I believe they play the Rams, Seattle, Miami and perhaps Buffalo down the stretch. There’s actually much more of a chance to seek out their strategy to nationwide tv in the event that they’re related.”
The Jets’ early schedule is difficult, not from who they play however once they play. They’ve three video games in 10 days to open the season, going from San Francisco on a Monday to Nashville on a Sunday after which enjoying their residence opener on a Thursday in opposition to the Patriots.
North stated the Jets not dealing with many 2023 playoff groups early within the season softened the blow of getting to play on brief weeks twice within the first three weeks.
“All of us favored Jets-Patriots in Week 3 there for Amazon,” North defined. “We noticed schedules the place the Jets had been on the street in San Francisco for Week 1 after which a house sport after which play that Thursday sport on the street in New England. If that residence sport had been Seattle and that Thursday sport had been on the street, it’s nonetheless three video games in 10 days. Is that higher? Is that extra truthful? You concentrate on not simply the place you play however who you play. They occur to run into Tennessee, New England and Denver [in Week 4], three groups that didn’t make the playoffs final yr. Clearly, the three video games in 10 days is a problem however didn’t really feel just like the gauntlet of three groups that made deep playoff runs final yr. Which may have given us a bit of bit extra pause.”
