2023 was supposed to be the season that the New York Jets turned their franchise’s fortunes around. After years of incompetence at the quarterback position, the arrival of Aaron Rodgers was sure to be the solution to their problems, and there were Super Bowl hopes for a team that hadn’t qualified for the playoffs in over a decade. But things fell apart due to the season-ending Achilles injury suffered by Rodgers on the Jets’ first offensive series of the year, and they have been eliminated after Week 15 of the NFL season.
Jets Will Miss Playoffs For 13th Straight Year
The Jets now have gone 13 straight seasons without making the playoffs, the longest active drought across the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB.
The Jets last made the playoffs in 2010. pic.twitter.com/zm6AFV0yox
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2023
There was a glimmer of hope a few weeks into the season when the team’s defense did enough to mask the offensive inefficiencies, and they were 4-3 entering Week 9. But they’ve only won a single time since, and have a record of 5-9 heading into the final three weeks of the year. There has been hope all season long that Rodgers would be able to return at some point in December, especially if the team was still in contention at the time, but it doesn’t appear as though he’s going to continue to rush back given the performance by the Jets against the Dolphins on Sunday.
The offensive line for New York looked atrocious during the game in Miami, as they allowed pressure all day and gave up six sacks. The offense mustered just 103 total yards on the day, thanks largely to the dominance of the Dolphins’ defensive line, and cameras caught Rodgers’ building frustration on the sidelines during the game. His return would be the quickest in the history of the sport for an Achilles tear, and doing so behind a leaky front line could spell disaster.
Longest Postseason Drought In N. American Sports
The #Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention for a 13th straight year.
That’s the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports. pic.twitter.com/LjVxXSbl70
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 17, 2023
Thanks to the Sacramento Kings qualifying for the NBA playoffs last season, the New York Jets now have the longest playoff drought in North American sports, and they’re adding to it. The streak has now reached 13 years, with their last postseason game being the AFC Championship when Rex Ryan was the head coach and Mark Sanchez was the quarterback.
There have been three different head coaches for the franchise since Ryan was fired after 2014, and none of them have had any level of marked success. And while the injuries this year have been unfortunate, current head man Robert Saleh could be on the hot seat after three years on the job.
The second-longest current playoff drought is held by the Denver Broncos, who are hoping to snap that streak this year if they can get hot down the stretch. The Jets would have to miss out for the next 12 years to tie the NFL record.
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