The 2015 New York Jets season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League and the 56th overall. The team improved on their 4–12 record in 2014 under former head CoachRex 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 2023, 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.
The Jets fired general manager John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan on December 29, 2014.[1]
Offensive line coach Mike Devlin left the Jets to accept the same position with the Houston Texans on January 9, 2015.[2]
The Jets hired Mike Maccagnan as general manager on January 13, 2015.[3]
The Jets hired Todd Bowles as head coach on January 14, 2015.[4]
Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, linebackers coach Bobby April III, defensive backs coach Tim McDonald, assistant defensive line coach Jeff Weeks, and assistant strength and conditioning coach Jason Oszvart were hired to the same positions by the Buffalo Bills on January 15, 2015. Offensive assistant Tony Sparano Jr. was named tight ends coach on January 15 by the Bills.[5][6]
Quarterbacks coach David Lee was hired by the Buffalo Bills for the same position on January 19, 2015.[7]
The Jets hired Chan Gailey as offensive coordinator on January 20, 2015.[8]
The Jets hired Kacy Rodgers as defensive coordinator, Bobby April as special teams coordinator, Mike Caldwell as the assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach, Mark Collins as the outside linebackers coach, Joe Danna as the defensive backs coach, Karl Dorrell as the wide receivers coach, and Robby Brown as an offensive quality control coach on January 23, 2015.[9]
The Jets hired Pepper Johnson as the defensive line coach on January 24, 2015.[10]
The Jets hired Brian Heimerdinger as director of player personnel on January 27, 2015.[11]
The Jets hired Steve Marshall as offensive line coach, Marcel Shipp as running backs coach and Kevin Patullo as quarterbacks coach on January 27, 2015.[11]
The Jets hired Rex Hogan as senior director of college scouting on January 29, 2015.[12]
The Jets hired Jimmie Johnson as tight ends coach, Daylon McCutcheon as assistant defensive backs coach, and Ryan Slowik as assistant defensive line/defensive quality control coach on January 29, 2015.[13]
The Jets named Ron Heller as assistant offensive line coach and Steve Hagen as assistant special teams coach on February 3, 2015.[14]
The Jets hired John Scott, Jr. as a defensive quality control coach on February 11, 2015.[15]
The Jets fired director of pro personnel Brendan Prophett on May 4, 2015.[16]
The Chicago Bears traded Brandon Marshall and a 2015 seventh round (224th overall) draft pick to the Jets for New York's 2015 fifth round (142nd overall) draft pick on March 10, 2015.[58]
The Houston Texans traded DeVier Posey and their 2015 third round (82nd overall), fifth round (152nd overall), and seventh round (229th overall) draft picks to the Jets for New York's 2015 third round (70th overall) draft pick on May 1, 2015.[60]
The St. Louis Rams traded Zac Stacy to the Jets for New York's 2015 seventh round (224th overall) pick on May 2, 2015.[61]
The Jets traded their 2015 fourth round (104th overall) and seventh round (224th overall) draft picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Jacksonville's 2015 fourth round (103rd overall) draft pick on May 2, 2015.[62]
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).[78] Miami is to be the designated home team for this game, and both teams will have their bye the following week.[79]
The remainder of the Jets' 2015 schedule was announced on April 21.
^ abcDenver finished ahead of New England and Cincinnati for the No. 1 seed based on head-to-head sweep. New England finished ahead of Cincinnati for the No. 2 seed based on record vs. common opponents — New England's cumulative record against Buffalo, Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh was 4–1, while Cincinnati's cumulative record against the same four teams was 2–3.
^ abPittsburgh finished ahead of the New York Jets for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents — Pittsburgh's cumulative record against Cleveland, Indianapolis, New England and Oakland was 4–1, while the Jets' cumulative record against the same four teams was 3–2.
^ abBuffalo finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory.
^ abJacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based on head-to-head victory.
^ abCleveland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
The Jets open the 2015 season with a resounding 31-10 win over the Cleveland Browns at Metlife Stadium to open Todd Bowles' tenure as Jets HC, replacing Rex Ryan, who manned the sidelines for the past six seasons. The Jets had five takeaways against Cleveland, including a Johnny Manziel interception. Fitzpatrick had a solid debut, throwing 2 TDs to Marshall (1 yard) and Decker (15 yards) respectively. Chris Ivory also had a good day, rushing for 91 yards and 2 TDs, the second of which sealed the game in the 4th quarter.
Eric Decker 6-yard TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. (Nick Folk kick) Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:44 (NYJ 7-0)
Second quarter
Nick Folk 35-yard field goal. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 5:12 (NYJ 10-0)
Third quarter
Donte Moncrief 26-yard touchdown reception from Andrew Luck. (Adam Vinatieri kick) Drive: 8 plays, 91 yards, 3:59 (NYJ 10-7)
Fourth quarter
Brandon Marshall 15-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Fitzpatrick. (Nick Folk kick) Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:47 (NYJ 17-7)
Nick Folk 46-yard field goal. Drive: 8 plays, 34 yards, 3:38 (NYJ 20-7)
Top passers
NYJ – Ryan Fitzpatrick: 22/34, 244 yards, 2 TD, INT
IND – Andrew Luck: 21/37, 250 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
NYJ – Chris Ivory: 14 car, 57 yards
IND – Frank Gore: 15 car, 57 yards
Top receivers
NYJ – Brandon Marshall: 7 rec, 101 yards, TD
IND – Donte Moncrief: 7 rec, 122 yards, TD
Top tacklers
NYJ – Buster Skrine: 7 tackles
IND – D'Qwell Jackson: 6 tackles
The Jets defeated the Indianapolis Colts 20-7 in a sloppy Monday Night Matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Jets defense forced five turnovers, intercepting Andrew Luck, the league leader in TD passes last year, three times. A 26-yd touchdown reception by Donte Moncrief cut the Jets lead to three points (10-7), before a clutch seven-play, 80-yd TD drive culminating in a 15-yd TD pass to Marshall sealed the win for New York.
Brandon Marshall 16-yard TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. (Nick Folk kick) Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 2:05. (PHI 24-7)
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
Jeremy Kerley 7-yard TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. (Nick Folk kick) Drive: 16 plays, 81 yards, 8:11. (PHI 24-14)
Nick Folk 53-yard field goal. Drive: 5 plays, 16 yards, 0:28. (PHI 24-17)
Top passers
PHI – Sam Bradford: 14/28, 118 yards, TD
NYJ – Ryan Fitzpatrick: 35/58, 283 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
PHI – Ryan Mathews: 24 car, 108 yards
NYJ – Bilal Powell: 10 car, 31 yards
Top receivers
PHI – Jordan Matthews: 6 rec, 49 yards
NYJ – Brandon Marshall: 10 rec, 109 yards, TD
Top tacklers
PHI – Jordan Hicks: 9 tackles
NYJ – Demario Davis: 6 tackles
After the Jets' upset win against the Colts on Monday night, they headed back to MetLife Stadium to face the Eagles. With 2014 rushing champ DeMarco Murray, who had rushed for 11 yards on 21 carries, injured, the Eagles rushing attack was explosive under Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles. Philadelphia quickly jumped to a 24-0 lead in the 2nd quarter, intercepting Ryan Fitzpatrick 3 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 remain as the only NFL team that the Jets have never defeated in franchise history, as the Eagles improved their all-time head-to-head record against the Jets to 10–0.[80] This game was also known for Brandon Marshall’s attempt to pitch the ball backwards to his teammate, which result in a fumble recover for the Eagles.
Chris Ivory 3-yard TD run. (Nick Folk kick) (NYJ 7-0)
Nick Folk 22-yard field goal. (NYJ 10-0)
Second quarter
Nick Folk 48-yard field goal. (NYJ 13-0)
Ryan Tannehill 8-yard pass to Jake Stoneburner. (Andrew Franks kick) (NYJ 13-7)
Ryan Fitzpatrick 10-yard pass to Eric Decker. (Nick Folk kick) (NYJ 20-7)
Third quarter
Zac Stacy 2-yard TD run. (Nick Folk kick) (NYJ 27-7)
Fourth quarter
Ryan Tannehill 10-yard pass to Kenny Stills. (Andrew Franks kick) (NYJ 27-14)
Top passers
NYJ –
MIA –
Top rushers
NYJ –
MIA –
Top receivers
NYJ –
MIA –
Top tacklers
NYJ –
MIA –
The New York Jets traveled across the pond for the first time in franchise history to face their AFC East rival, the Miami Dolphins. The offense, led by QB 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 Jets defense dominated the Dolphins offense for the majority of the game, shutting down Ryan Tannehill, however the Dolphins pulled within 2 scores in the 4th quarter. NYJ forced 2 interceptions, both in the fourth quarter, to put the game away. The New York Jets won 27-14, and improved their record to 3-1 heading into their bye week.
After their bye week, New York returned home to face the Washington Redskins. In the first half, Washington played extremely aggressive on defense, forcing 3 turnovers. In the third quarter, the Jets' offense exploded, scoring 17 points, and the defense intercepted Washington QB Kirk Cousins twice to seal the deal. In the victory, Brandon Marshall became the first Jets receiver since Don Maynard in 1968 to have 4 straight 100-yard games, and Chris Ivory recorded a career-high 196 total yards With the win, the Jets improved to 4-1.
The Jets travel to New England to take on the Patriots. With the Jets leading 17-16 in the second half, the Jets were in position to strengthen their lead when Brandon Marshall dropped a TD, leading to a FG making the advantage 20-16. However, touchdowns to Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski ended those hopes and the Jets would go on to lose, 30-23 in which many plays and questionable decisions were left on the field by the coaching staff.
The New York Jets came back from a 20-10 deficit to beat the New York Giants with an interception by Rontez Miles and a Randy Bullock field goal with a late 4th quarter touchdown to Brandon Marshall to send it to overtime. Randy Bullock's field goal put the Jets up 23-20. The Jets sealed the victory with Josh Brown missing his third field goal attempt of the game. The Jets improve to 5-8 all time against the Giants.
This game is well known for the coin toss to start overtime. The Patriots would win the toss, choosing heads. However, instead of receiving the ball to give Tom Brady the first chance to score, the Patriots elected to kick. This caused much confusion in Patriots captain Matthew Slater, as he questioned after the toss if the Patriots, 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 rule book, 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 would get the ball first. They would march right down the field to score the game-winning touchdown on their first possession as Ryan Fitzpatrick found Eric Decker to end the game with a touchdown. With their fifth straight win, the Jets improved to 10-5.
This was the last time the Jets beat the Patriots until 2024.
With the loss, and with the Steelers defeating the Browns the same day, the Jets finished their season 10-6 and were eliminated from the playoffs. This was also the first time since 2004 that one NFL team defeated another twice in the same season and both games ended with the same score. The Jets were also seeking a 6-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. Fitzpatrick played for the Bills from 2009 to 2012.
