ESPN analyst doesn't see Jets interception drought ending anytime soon

For a defense that somehow went an entire season without recording an interception, the hope entering 2026 was simple. Regression to the mean has to kick in for the New York Jets at some point (hopefully). Even average defenses stumble into a takeaway at some point.

There's a catch, though. When looking at the Jets’ early schedule, ESPN sees a difficult path toward finally snapping the drought. His reasoning is hard to dismiss.

The Jets face the league’s 12th-hardest schedule based on opponents’ 2025 winning percentage . There's also more to consider. The quarterbacks awaiting them early aren’t exactly known for handing out gifts.

ESPN pointed to the first month of the season as a major obstacle in the recent story, New York Jets schedule 2026: Takeaways, predictions . “The first four quarterbacks on the schedule — Cam Ward, Jordan Love, Jared Goff and Caleb Williams — aren’t interception throwers. In fact, they ranked in the top seven in lowest interception percentage in 2025.