| 2015 New York Jets season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Woody & Christopher Johnson |
| General manager | Mike Maccagnan |
| Head coach | Todd Bowles |
| Home stadium | MetLife Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | WR Brandon Marshall CB Darrelle Revis DE Muhammad Wilkerson C Nick Mangold RB Chris Ivory |
| Uniform | |
The 2015 season was the New York Jets' 46th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 56th overall. The team improved on their 4–12 record in 2014 under former head Coach Rex Ryan. Under new head coach Todd Bowles, they succeeded in matching their previous season’s win count in just five games, starting 4–1. Prior to the season, the Jets made a number of moves, including, re-acquiring Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, two cornerbacks who were instrumental in the Jets previous defensive success, and obtaining Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Marshall in trades. The team regressed to 5–5, before going on a five-game winning streak, clinching their first winning season since 2010. However, it wasn't enough to make the playoffs, as they lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 17 and the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers, who also finished 10–6, clinched the final AFC playoff spot over the Jets based on a better record vs. common opponents. The Jets finished the season as the league's only team with a winning record to not make the playoffs, and as of 2025, this was the last Jets team to post a winning record. This was also tied with the 2020 Miami Dolphins season as the closest quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick came to making the playoffs in his 17-year career.
| Position | Player | Free agency tag | Date signed/released | 2015 team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | Phillip Adams | UFA | March 12, 2015 | Atlanta Falcons | |
| LB | Nick Bellore | UFA | April 3, 2015 | San Francisco 49ers | |
| G | Willie Colon | UFA | March 12, 2015 | New York Jets | |
| FB | John Conner | UFA | May 13, 2015 | Buffalo Bills | |
| LB | Jermaine Cunningham | UFA | – | – | – |
| DE | Leger Douzable | UFA | April 8, 2015 | New York Jets | |
| NT | Kenrick Ellis | UFA | March 18, 2015 | New York Giants | |
| LB | David Harris | UFA | March 6, 2015 | New York Jets | |
| NT | Damon Harrison | RFA | April 29, 2015 | New York Jets | |
| OT | Ben Ijalana | UFA | April 1, 2015 | New York Jets | |
| S | Jaiquawn Jarrett | ERFA | April 24, 2015 | New York Jets | |
| RB | Chris Johnson | UFA | August 17, 2015 | Arizona Cardinals | |
| S | Dawan Landry | UFA | – | – | – |
| RB | Bilal Powell | UFA | March 10, 2015 | New York Jets | |
| LS | Tanner Purdum | UFA | March 12, 2015 | New York Jets | |
| WR | Greg Salas | RFA | May 13, 2015 | Detroit Lions | |
| QB | Matt Simms | ERFA | December 30, 2014 | New York Jets | |
| QB | Michael Vick | UFA | August 25, 2015 | Pittsburgh Steelers | – |
| CB | Kyle Wilson | UFA | April 1, 2015 | New Orleans Saints |
| RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent, FT: Franchise tag |
| RD | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Leonard Williams | Defensive end | USC | |
| 2 | 37 | Devin Smith | Wide receiver | Ohio St. | |
| 3 | 70 | Traded to the Houston Texans for picks 82, 152, 229, and DeVier Posey. | |||
| 82 | Lorenzo Mauldin | Outside linebacker | Louisville | Traded from the Houston Texans for pick 70 along with DeVier Posey | |
| 4 | 103 | Bryce Petty | Quarterback | Baylor | Traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars for pick 104 and 229 |
| 104 | Traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for pick 103. | ||||
| 5 | 142 | Traded to the Chicago Bears for WR Brandon Marshall. | |||
| 152 | Jarvis Harrison | Guard | Texas A&M | Traded from the Houston Texans for pick 70 along with DeVier Posey. | |
| 6 | 181 | Traded to the Seattle Seahawks for WR Percy Harvin. | |||
| 7 | 223 | Deon Simon | Defensive tackle | Northwestern State | |
| 224 | Traded from the Chicago Bears with WR Brandon Marshall then traded to the St. Louis Rams for RB Zac Stacy. | ||||
| 229 | Trade from Houston Texans via Cleveland Browns then traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for pick 103. | ||||
On November 6, 2014, the NFL announced that the Jets were scheduled to visit the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London, England as part of the International Series. This became the first time that a divisional match has taken place in London. The game occurred on Sunday, October 4, and aired on CBS in the United States. The kickoff time was 9:30 a.m. EDT (2:30 p.m. local time). Miami is to be the designated home team for this game, and both teams will have their bye the following week.
The remainder of the Jets' 2015 schedule was announced on April 21.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 13 | at Detroit Lions | L 3–23 | 0–1 | Ford Field | Recap |
| 2 | August 21 | Atlanta Falcons | W 30–22 | 1–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 29 | at New York Giants | W 28–18 | 2–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–18 | 3–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | Cleveland Browns | W 31–10 | 1–0 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 21 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 20–7 | 2–0 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 27 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–24 | 2–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 4 | at Miami Dolphins | W 27–14 | 3–1 | Recap | |
| 5 | Bye | |||||
| 6 | October 18 | Washington Redskins | W 34–20 | 4–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 25 | at New England Patriots | L 23–30 | 4–2 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | November 1 | at Oakland Raiders | L 20–34 | 4–3 | O.co Coliseum | Recap |
| 9 | November 8 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 28–23 | 5–3 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | Buffalo Bills | L 17–22 | 5–4 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 22 | at Houston Texans | L 17–24 | 5–5 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 29 | Miami Dolphins | W 38–20 | 6–5 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 6 | at New York Giants | W 23–20 (OT) | 7–5 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 13 | Tennessee Titans | W 30–8 | 8–5 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 19 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 19–16 | 9–5 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 27 | New England Patriots | W 26–20 (OT) | 10–5 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | January 3 | at Buffalo Bills | L 17–22 | 10–6 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) New England Patriots | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 465 | 315 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 387 | 314 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 379 | 359 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 310 | 389 | W1 |
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division Leaders | |||||||||||
| 1 | Denver Broncos | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .500 | .479 | W2 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | East | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .473 | .448 | L2 |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .477 | .406 | W1 |
| 4 | Houston Texans | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .496 | .410 | W3 |
| Wild Cards | |||||||||||
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .496 | .432 | W10 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .504 | .463 | W1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
| 7 | New York Jets | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .441 | .388 | L1 |
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | East | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .508 | .438 | W2 |
| 9 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .500 | .406 | W2 |
| 10 | Oakland Raiders | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .512 | .366 | L1 |
| 11 | Miami Dolphins | East | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .469 | .469 | W2 |
| 12 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .473 | .375 | L3 |
| 13 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .508 | .425 | L1 |
| 14 | San Diego Chargers | West | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 0–6 | 3–9 | .527 | .328 | L2 |
| 15 | Cleveland Browns | North | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .531 | .271 | L3 |
| 16 | Tennessee Titans | South | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 1–11 | .492 | .375 | L4 |
| Tiebreakers | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| New York Jets staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
→ Coaching Staff | |||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Jets | 0 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information |
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The Jets opened the season with a resounding 31–10 win over the Browns at MetLife Stadium to open Todd Bowles' tenure as Jets head coach, replacing Rex Ryan, who manned the sidelines for the past six seasons. The Jets had five takeaways against Cleveland, including a Johnny Manziel interception. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a solid debut, throwing 2 touchdown passes to Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Chris Ivory also had a good day, rushing for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns, the second of which sealed the game in the fourth quarter.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Colts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
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The Jets visited the Colts on Monday Night Football. In a sloppy game, the Jets defense forced five turnovers, intercepting Andrew Luck, the league leader in touchdown passes in 2014, three times. A 26-yard touchdown reception by Donte Moncrief cut the lead to three points before a clutch seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive culminating in a 15-yard pass to Marshall sealed the win for the Jets.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Jets | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
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With 2014 rushing yards leader DeMarco Murray injured, Philadelphia's rushing attack was explosive under Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles. The Eagles quickly jumped to a 24–0 lead in the second quarter, intercepting Ryan Fitzpatrick three times (although 2 of them were batted passes or botched catches). New York scored 17 unanswered; however the Jets couldn't capitalize on many opportunities and Philadelphia won 24–17. The Eagles remained the only NFL team that the Jets have never defeated in franchise history, as they improved their all-time head-to-head record to 10–0. This game was also known for Brandon Marshall’s attempt to pitch the ball backwards to his teammate, which resulted in a fumble recovery for the Eagles.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 10 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Wembley Stadium, London, England
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The Jets traveled across the pond for the first time in franchise history to face the Dolphins. The offense, led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, got off to a quick start with a 58-yard heave to Brandon Marshall and a 3-yard touchdown run by Chris Ivory to put the Jets up 7–0. The defense dominated most of the game, shutting down Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins pulled within two scores in the fourth quarter, but the Jets forced two interceptions, sealing the win.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Jets | 7 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 34 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information |
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First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers
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In the first half, Washington played extremely aggressive on defense, forcing three turnovers. In the third quarter, the Jets' offense exploded, scoring 17 points and the defense intercepted quarterback Kirk Cousins twice to seal the win. In the victory, Brandon Marshall became the first Jets receiver since Don Maynard in 1968 to have four straight 100-yard games, and Chris Ivory recorded a career-high 196 total yards.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
| Patriots | 3 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 30 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Raiders | 7 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 3 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 23 |
| Jets | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information |
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 22 |
| Jets | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information |
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Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
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As part of Nike's NFL color rush on Thursday Night Football, the Jets wore Kelly green uniforms.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Texans | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information |
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Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
| Jets | 7 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Giants | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
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Overtime
Top passers
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The Jets came back from a 20–10 deficit to beat the Giants via a Randy Bullock field goal and a late fourth quarter touchdown by Brandon Marshall to send the game to overtime. The Jets sealed the win after Josh Brown missing his third field goal attempt of the game.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titans | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Jets | 10 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 30 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
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First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 6 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 19 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Game information |
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Jets | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 26 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information |
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First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Overtime
Top passers
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This game became well known for the coin toss to start overtime. New England won the toss; however, instead of receiving the ball to give Tom Brady the first chance to score, the Patriots elected to kick. This caused much confusion for captain Matthew Slater, as he questioned after the toss if the team, because they won the toss, would also get to choose which end of the field they would like to kick. However, referee Clete Blakeman said "You elected to kick", and the Patriots were unable to choose which end of the field to kick off to, as in the NFL rulebook, the team that loses the coin toss gets to choose which end to receive the ball, if the team that wins the toss elects to defer. If the team that wins the coin toss receives, the team that loses the toss will elect which way to kick. The Jets marched right down the field to score the game-winning touchdown on their first possession as Ryan Fitzpatrick found Eric Decker. This turned out to be not only their last win over the Patriots until 2023 but also their last home win over New England until 2024.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Bills | 7 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
| Game information |
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First quarter
Second quarter
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Fourth quarter
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With the loss, coupled with the Steelers defeating the Browns the same day, the Jets were eliminated from the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. This was also the first time since 2004 that one team defeated another twice in the same season and both games ended with the same score. The Jets also sought a six-game winning streak for the first time since 1986. It was also quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's first return to Buffalo since the Bills released him following the 2012 season. As of 2025, this remains the last time the Jets had a winning season.
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