The New York Jets won’t have to worry about being more fatigued than their opponents in 2023
One of the most underrated things to look for when an NFL team gets its schedule is the differential in how much rest they will receive compared to their opponents. In this specific area, the 2023 schedule-makers were extremely kind to the New York Jets.
Per ESPN, the Jets’ 2023 schedule features a net rest differential of plus-12 days over their opponents. It ties them for second-best in the league.
For the Jets, this is a night-and-day change from their minus-8 differential in 2022. However, this didn’t seem to affect the Jets’ performance all too much; their 2-2 record with a rest disadvantage was actually better than their 1-2 with a rest advantage.
Nevertheless, a strong rest advantage should only be beneficial to the Jets as they embark on a quest for a championship, especially with a 39-year-old starting quarterback under center. The Jets will happily accept every bit of luck they can get as they hope to turn around their long-standing misfortune with injuries.
On the negative side, the Jets drew an unlucky number of short road weeks. They will play three road games that take place fewer than seven days after the previous last game:
- Week 2 at Dallas, 6 days rest (coming off Monday night game vs. Buffalo)
- Week 10 at Las Vegas, 6 days rest (coming off Monday night game vs. LA Chargers)
- Week 17 at Cleveland, 4 days rest (Thursday night game following Sunday afternoon game)
The high number of short road weeks is balanced out by the fact that New York does not play any games against a team coming off its bye week. This tidbit is a huge reason for the Jets’ large positive differential in net rest days.
Additionally, the Jets received a relatively light travel schedule. Their schedule features 14,282 travel miles (seventh-fewest) and 12 time-zone changes (second-fewest). The Jets will only play three games outside of the Eastern Time Zone, including none in their final eight games of the season.
How far is your @NFL team going to travel this season?
Here's the rundown — from the @Seahawks to the @Bengals and all 30 teams in between https://t.co/KwyrUMqpQw pic.twitter.com/UMHHNoQprF
— Bill Speros (@billsperos) May 10, 2023
It sure doesn’t look like the Jets will be able to make any schedule-based excuses this year. They drew a slate that does them a lot of favors from a rest perspective.
