The New York Jets have had suffered through and enjoyed some shocking and surprising seasons in their history. Luckily we narrowed it all down for you.
Twenty-seventeen marks the New York Jets 53rd-year of existence. Probably the most shocking part of Jets’ history is that they have won just one Super Bowl title, the shocker that brought the two leagues together capping the 1968 season.
This season, the Jets are 5-10 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention after last Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints. This year will be the seventh straight year that the Jets have failed to make the playoffs. It’s the Gang Green’s third-longest playoff drought, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.
However, coach Todd Bowles believes that things will turn around for the Jets.
“Obviously, this is going to turn,” Bowles told Cimini. “I believe that we have a good core group. We just need to eliminate some of the mistakes and some of the situational football things, and we’ll be OK.”
What’s most shocking about Gang Green’s season is that they are enjoying a better season than the New York Giants, who are disappointing, to say the least. Over the past 53 years, the Jets have both pleasantly surprised and crashed.
Here are the most shocking Jets seasons of all-time.
10. 1974 (7-7)
The Jets started the ’74 season by losing seven of their first eight games. They ended the losing streak against the Giants and won their last six games. They finished the year 7-7 and in third place in the AFC East.
The Jets had a new head coach in Charlie Winner and it took time to get used to and perform.
9. 1984 (7-9)
The Jets moved into the Meadowlands and got their first win in the new stadium in Week 3. They lost six games in a row after starting off the season 6-2. They ended up finishing the season with a 7-9 record.
The Jets were in transition after trading Richard Todd in the offseason and didn’t have people in the right place yet.
8. 1966 (6-6-2)
The Jets started the season strong but lost to the Oilers in Week 6. After the loss to the Oilers, it was downhill from there, as the Jets won just once over an eight-week period. Joe Namath’s four interceptions against the Oilers stopped the Jets momentum and the team never recovered.
7. 1987 (6-10)
After two straight playoff appearances, the Jets started the ’87 season 2-0. They lost five of their final six games and finished the season 6-9 and in fifth place in the AFC East. The NFL players strike stopped the team’s momentum and divided the team.
6. 1992 (4-12)
After making the playoffs in 1991, the Jets had high expectations for the ’92 season. They were undefeated in the preseason, but ended up going 4-12 and finishing fourth in the AFC East.Injuries to Al Toon, Dennis Byrd, and Scott Mersereau hurt the team and they struggled why they lost those players.
5. 2007 (4-12)
After going 10-6 the year before, the Jets were 4-12 in 2007. They finished the season third in the AFC East. They drafted Darrelle Revis and David Harris and acquired Thomas Jones in a trade. The team never gelled and most fans wanted head coach Eric Mangini gone.
4. 1994 (6-10)
Hiring Pete Carroll as their head coach seemed to be the right move as the Jets started the season 2-0. However, things fell apart and they lost the final six games of the season. They ended the season with a 6-10 record and in fifth place in the AFC East.
The Jets lost their final four games of the season and there were allegations that the team had quit on Carroll.
3. 2003 (6-10)
After making the playoffs in 2001 and 2002, the Jets failed to make the playoffs in 2003. They finished third in the AFC East. It was Gang Green’s first losing season in six years. Chad Pennington found himself injured in the preseason and the Jets couldn’t do much without him.
2. 1998 (12-4, lost AFC Championship game)
The 1998 season is the only time the Jets have won 12 games in a season. They were 12-1 when quarterback Vinny Testaverde started. It looked like the Jets were going to the Super Bowl, however, they lost the AFC title game to the Denver Broncos.
The Jets had a 10-0 lead in the third quarter of the AFC Championship game, but fell apart, which allowed the Broncos to come back and win the game.
1. 1981 (10-5-1, lost in Wild Card round)
The Jets started the season 0-3 and were 3-4-1 halfway through the season. However, they ended the season with a 9-2 run and made the playoffs for the first time since 1969. They lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card game, though. Joe Kleco led the defensive line with 66 sacks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaM9PLcSXHQ
