Despite playing in the nation’s top market, the Jets didn’t get a single prime-time game in 2026. Which is a reflection of where the franchise currently stands in the NFL’s hierarchy.
Via Rich Cimini of ESPN, Jets coach Aaron Glenn views the absence of night games pragmatically.
“To me, it’s more of you earn the right,” Glenn said, per Cimini. “And, yes, you can use that as motivation, but you earn the right. That’s the good thing about this league. You earn your right — players, coaches, everybody. You earn your right to get what you get in this league.”
As noted by Cimini, the lack of games under the lights could be a good thing for the Jets. They’re 3-16 in their last 19 night games.
Of the 16 Jets games that have set times, 14 begin at 1:00 p.m. ET. The other two are 4:05 p.m. regional games at the Chargers (Week 11) and the Cardinals (Week 15).
The Jets could get a prime-time game (or a standalone window) on Week 18, either in one of the three Saturday windows or to end the regular season on Sunday night. Flexing in earlier weeks is an option, too, if the Jets are more competitive than they have been since the last time they made it to the playoffs, in 2010.
The schedule allows the Jets to stick to a routine. Barring a flex to Thursday night or Sunday night, they’ll play all of their games before Week 18 on Sunday afternoon.
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