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The NFL’s new 17-game regular-season schedule will have ripple effects on back into this summer’s preseason schedule. For the Jets, that means three preseason games, not four, one home game, not two, and the annual Giants game sitting in the leadoff spot, not in Week 3.
The Jets will “visit” the host Giants at MetLife Stadium for the teams’ 52nd meeting in 53 summers (the only miss came last year due to the COVID-19 cancellation of all preseason games). This year’s meeting is the preseason opener and is set for Saturday, Aug. 14, with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The game is an opportunity for the Jets and their fans to see their new coaching staff, led by first-year HC Robert Saleh, in action as well as their rookie draft class, topped by BYU QB Zach Wilson, the second overall pick in late April.
The Green & White’s second game will be a rare afternoon start — opening kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET, 3:25 Central — when the Jets play their first summer game in Green Bay in more than two decades, tackling the Packers on Aug. 21. The game will be televised in the New York area by WLNY and on newyorkjets.com, with WCBS joining the game in progress after finishing coverage of The Northern Trust golf tournament that afternoon.
Because the Jets received a ninth regular-season home game from the NFL, they are limited to one home game in the preseason. As luck would have it, the opponent is the same for both of those games as the Jets again wrap up their preseason schedule against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife on Friday, Aug. 27.
The last time the Jets played an opponent in both the preseason and regular season was in 2015, when they took on both the Eagles and Giants once in summer and once in autumn.
All teams will get a bye week in the final week of the preseason, when that fourth preseason game used to be played. That means that once the Jets-Eagles game is done, Saleh and his staff will begin preparations for their ’21 season debuts, at Carolina on opening day, Sept. 12, and against New England in their home opener at MetLife on Sept. 19.
Here are some notes on the Jets’ three preseason games:
Game 1—Jets @ Giants, MetLife Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 14, 7:30 p.m., WNBC
The Jets and Giants had played every preseason since 1969 for an NFL-long 51-year streak of summer meetings that was snapped due to COVID last year. … It’s the second time in three years the teams will play in the preseason opener after playing in the third preseason game 13 times since 2004. … The summer series is tied 25-25-1. … The Jets have won five of the last seven as the visiting team, although the losses came in the last two meetings.
Game 2—Jets @ Green Bay, Lambeau Field, Saturday, Aug. 21, 4:25 p.m. ET, WLNY/nyjets.com (CBS to join in progress after golf)
This is the Jets’ first preseason game vs. the Packers since 2000, a 37-24 Jets loss. … It’s also the Jets’ first preseason afternoon KO since they beat the Bengals 28-13 at the old Meadowlands stadium in 2003. … The Jets are 2-6 all-time in the preseason vs. the Packers. … The Jets will be playing their ninth road preseason game vs. the Pack (no home games in the summer series yet), with four of the previous eight in Green Bay, three in Madison, WI, and one in Milwaukee.
Game 3—Jets vs. Eagles, MetLife Stadium, Friday, Aug. 27, 7:30 p.m., WCBS
The Jets and Eagles will meet for the 20th time in the last 21 summers, with the only miss coming last year due to COVID-19. … As the home team, Jets have won four in a row over the Birds, 10 of last 11, and 14 of 21 all-time. … Those last four home wins have all been by eight points or fewer, capped by their 6-0 shutout win in 2019. … Since 2001, the Jets and Eagles didn’t play in the fourth PS game in any year, but they played in the final PS game in all 19 years until 2020.
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