There’s something about an underdog.

New York Jets fans haven’t seen a competent Jets team in over a decade. It doesn’t matter who has been the coach, quarterback, or general manager; nothing has been able to fix the organization’s losing.

It also hasn’t helped that, as a major market organization, everything the Jets do is held under a microscope. A normal locker room spat, for example, isn’t much of a deal for smaller-market teams in Carolina or Tennessee, but it’s a national storyline for the Jets.

Luckily, due to one favorable aspect of their 2026 schedule, Jets fans might not have to worry about the team facing as much national scrutiny this season.

It directly connects with their underdog persona.

One favorable part of Jets schedule

Take a look at the Jets 2026 schedule. What do you see?

  • Week 1: at Tennessee Titans (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 3: at Detroit Lions (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 4: at Chicago Bears (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 5: vs. Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 6: at New England Patriots (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 8: vs. Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 10: vs. Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 11: at Los Angeles Chargers (4:05 p.m. EST)
  • Week 12: at Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 13: Bye
  • Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 15: at Arizona Cardinals (4:05 p.m. EST)
  • Week 16: vs. New England Patriots (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 17: vs. Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m. EST)
  • Week 18: at Buffalo Bills (TBD)

Have you found it yet? Well, it’s something that isn’t there.

The Jets were not given a single primetime contest. They are one of five teams with that distinction, joining the Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals.

Nobody should be surprised. But that’s also a great thing for the franchise.

From the Rex Ryan days to the Aaron Rodgers hype, the franchise has spent plenty of time in the limelight over the last 15 years. Now, they can truly “work in silence” as head coach Aaron Glenn so happily discussed before the season began last year.

With no stand-alone windows, there isn’t any added pressure on the Jets this season. There is no out-of-this-world expectation of the team needing to be better than they actually are.

The Jets can just focus on football. Fans can relish the fact that they can go about the rest of their day after games.

Until New York can prove to be a respectable organization in the win column, they won’t get many primetime slots in the near future. Perhaps that’s a silver lining for a team still trying to prove they can thrive in the underdog role.