It is time to see how long the Jets can keep hope alive.
They have had an offseason filled with raised expectations after what appears to be a strong showing in free agency and a potentially franchise-changing draft. The roster additions created plenty of hype and hope for a fan base starved for something to root for.
Now comes the tricky part: turning that potential into production.
The Jets have gone 11 years without making the playoffs and six seasons without a winning record. They will try to turn things around beginning Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium against the Ravens.
Head coach Robert Saleh likes the roster, but he wants to see who will emerge as playmakers.
“What’s great about this team is I know we have them, and it’s going to be so fun to watch this team kind of grow up this year in terms of who those dudes are that step up in the fourth quarter,” Saleh said. “Whether [a] coach is making the call or players [are] stepping up and making the unbelievable happen or the magnificent happen or whatever you want to call it, but that’s going to be what’s great about this year, and then who knows from there. I’m just really excited because I think we’ve got a really good thing going here, and it’s going to be fun to watch it evolve.”
The NFL schedule-makers did the Jets no favors. They start the season with a difficult 10-game stretch, beginning with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, who are looking to bounce back from an injury-filled 8-9 season.
The Jets will go into the opener without starting quarterback Zach Wilson, who had knee surgery last month and is expected to miss the first three games. They will turn to backup Joe Flacco, who spent 11 seasons with the Ravens and knows there will be some extra emotions at the beginning of this game.
Flacco has been a member of the Jets for at least part of the last three seasons. He said you can feel the difference in the locker room from when he first arrived in 2020, but the Jets still have much to prove.
“I think we have some momentum behind us,” Flacco said, “but we still haven’t done it on Sunday on a consistent basis, so I think until we do that, you always need to prove it to yourself and that locker room. We’re in a good spot, but we need to go out there and prove it to ourselves and get off to a good start.”