Football season is officially back, should NJ fans be excited?

The long wait is over, and football season is finally back. The Jets defeated the Titans 23-10 on Sunday, and the Giants play the Cowboys Sunday night.

Is there reason for New Jersey fans to be excited? In short, yes, but it may only be brief excitement. The Jets started their season off hot, defeating their former head coach, Robert Saleh. But a suspect defense and inconsistent quarterback play will likely hold them back as the year progresses.

The Jets have the longest active NFL playoff drought at 15 years. They haven't made the playoffs since 2010.

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The Giants have not been any better. Only two playoff appearances in their last 14 seasons, and only two winning records, too. They've won seven games combined in the last two years. There's optimism with a new head coach, and the second year with quarterback Jaxson Dart, but that excitement may be brief with a tough start to their schedule.

The best feeling in the world as a sports fan is hope. Having that belief that this year may just be the year for your team. And when the season starts, everyone has that feeling. But for NJ sports fans, it hasn't lasted through the month of September in a very long time.

I'm not telling you 2026 is going to be the year for either the Jets or Giants; in fact, I'll go on record as saying it won't be. But I think both fanbases want to see improvements from their respective teams, and I'm confident both will be better than they have been in past years.