The opening slate of the New York Jets’ 2026 schedule is getting easier and easier before games are even being played.
The Jets’ Week 2 opponents, the Green Bay Packers, received news on Sunday afternoon regarding the early-season availability of two of their best players.
Along with All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons being placed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, running back Josh Jacobs has been placed on the commissioner’s exempt list after he was charged with two misdemeanors stemming from an alleged incident with a woman in May.
Why is that important for the Jets? Well, Gang Green is taking on the Packers in their Week 2 home opener, meaning Green Bay is expected to be without one of their most valuable players on each side of the ball. Parsons will now assuredly be absent as he recovers from an ACL tear, which was the expectation, while Jacobs’ Week 2 status is seriously in doubt.
For a Jets team that needs to get off to a hot start, the good news continues to pile up. Winning in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans would be massive for the organization, and with what Green Bay is dealing with, New York has a unique opportunity to get off to a hot start.
The Jets have won just one of their last seven season openers, which came in 2023, when Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending Achilles injury. Before that, they had not won a season opener since 2018.
New York’s last 2-0 start was in 2015. With the way things are shaping up in Green Bay, the stars may be aligning for the Jets to end that streak.
