Jets to Open 2022 Season With Historic Stretch

New York will open the 2022 NFL season by facing each of the four teams in the AFC North.

Author:
Max Goodman
Publish date:
May 12, 2022 11:05 PM EDT

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New York Jets

The Jets will begin the regular season later this year with a four-game gauntlet against the AFC North.

New York begins their campaign by hosting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1.

The following Sunday, New York will travel to Cleveland to face the Browns in Week 2.

From there, Gang Green returns to MetLife Stadium where they'll host the Cincinnati Bengals (a team they upset in that building a year ago).

Then, New York hits the road for Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers.

If you're thinking this is a unique way to start the season, you're right. As pointed out by ESPN's Rich Cimini, this is the first time since the 1970 merger where the Jets have played four straight games against teams in the same division (not counting the AFC East).

In the Jets' official release of their schedule, the team added that this will be the first time since 2002, when divisions were realigned, that the Jets faced every team in a division in consecutive weeks. That year, New York opened their slate of games against the Bills, Patriots and Dolphins.

This four-game stretch is rare and also challenging. New York will be starting the season against quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Joe Burrow, an immediate test for their upgraded secondary.

It doesn't get any easier for the Jets from there either. After hosting the Dolphins in Week 5, New York is scheduled to travel to Green Bay and Denver in back-to-back weeks, facing quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson.