3. The Jets are awful coming off a bye week
NFL teams are generally rejuvenated after their bye weeks and ready for the stretch run. For some reason, the Jets have come out flat offensively and defensively in recent years. The Jets have not won the game following their bye week since 2015, a seven-game losing streak, the third longest streak coming off a bye since 1990.
In those six games, the Jets have been outscored by 106 points. In the two previous years under Saleh and quarterback Zach Wilson, the Jets offense and defense have been awful the week after the bye.
In 2021, the Jets were steamrolled by the Patriots, losing 54-13. Mac Jones was a rookie in 2021, so it's undoubtedly startling when a rookie quarterback drops 50 points on your defense. In 2022, the Jets lost to the Patriots again, this time 10-3 on a 54-yard punt return touchdown by Marcus Jones with five seconds left in the game. Wilson threw for just 77 yards on 9/22 passing in that game and had this infamous quote post-game:
.@Connor_J_Hughes: "Do you feel like you let the defense down at all?"
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 20, 2022
Zach Wilson: "No." pic.twitter.com/tiJiTSrFPE