Jets’ Playoff Hopes Crushed After Another Fourth-Quarter Collapse
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The New York Jets’ season, which began with Super Bowl aspirations, has officially spiraled into a nightmare. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson summed it up best after Sunday’s 32-26 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins: “When you’re up in the fourth quarter, all of a sudden it starts to feel like you have a losing problem. [It’s like] you have a gene or some s—.”
That “losing gene” has haunted the Jets for over a decade, and Sunday’s collapse at Hard Rock Stadium was just the latest chapter in a season full of heartbreak. The loss officially eliminated the Jets (3-10) from playoff contention, extending their postseason drought to 14 seasons. This dubious streak now stands as the longest active playoff drought across the five major North American sports leagues — NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and WNBA — surpassing the Buffalo Sabres’ 13-year skid. The Anaheim Angels (10 seasons) and Pittsburgh Pirates (nine seasons) trail behind.
From Super Bowl Dreams to a Season in Shambles
Back in September, the Jets were a team brimming with confidence. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers under center, the franchise believed it had the pieces to make a deep playoff run. But now, as interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich put it, the team is left with nothing but frustration. “I’m extremely shocked and disappointed and frustrated — and every other adjective you can think of,” said Ulbrich, who has gone 1-7 since taking over for the fired Robert Saleh.
The Jets haven’t sniffed the playoffs since 2010, when Rex Ryan was the head coach and Mark Sanchez was the quarterback. Since then, four different coaching regimes — Ryan, Todd Bowles, Adam Gase, and Saleh/Ulbrich — have failed to turn the tide. The names may change, but the results remain the same.
Historically, the Jets’ playoff drought is among the worst in the Super Bowl era. Only five teams have endured longer postseason slumps: the New Orleans Saints (20 years, 1967-1986), the Buffalo Bills (17 years, 2000-2016), the Cleveland Browns (17 years, 2003-2019), the New York Giants (15 years, 1966-1980), and the Arizona Cardinals (15 years, 1983-1997).
Another Fourth-Quarter Meltdown
Sunday’s game against the Dolphins encapsulated the Jets’ season in a nutshell. Despite Rodgers’ best performance of the year — completing 27 of 39 passes for 339 yards and a touchdown — the Jets couldn’t hold on to a 26-23 lead in the final minute of regulation. A series of defensive and special teams breakdowns, coupled with 10 penalties (22 over the last two games), sealed their fate.
Here’s how the collapse unfolded:
- With 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Anders Carlson nailed a 42-yard field goal to give the Jets a three-point lead.
- On the ensuing kickoff, Carlson’s short kick allowed the Dolphins to return the ball 45 yards, setting up Jason Sanders’ game-tying 52-yard field goal with just seven seconds remaining.
- In overtime, the Jets’ defense faltered, allowing the Dolphins to march 70 yards in eight plays. The game ended with Jonnu Smith’s 9-yard touchdown catch.
“We have to find a way to finish and close these things out,” Ulbrich said. “We’ve got to be at our best when our best is required, and we’re not getting that accomplished. I have to look at myself first.”
Record-Breaking Frustration
The Jets have now lost five games this season after holding a fourth-quarter lead, setting a franchise record. It’s happened in three consecutive games, and they’re 0-7 in contests decided by six points or fewer. The team’s playoff chances, which ESPN Analytics once pegged at 57% entering the season and 80% after a 2-1 start, have plummeted as they’ve dropped nine of their last 10 games — one of the worst stretches in franchise history.
“Yeah, the expectations were high,” Rodgers admitted. “We didn’t reach them, not even close. Felt good three weeks into the season. Everybody felt real good. Since then, it’s been a lot of difficult games with opportunities to win. We just didn’t figure out how to win enough games. I didn’t play good enough in some crunch times, and we’re sitting here with the record we have.”
Looking Ahead
For the Jets, the focus now shifts to cleaning up the mess and figuring out how to break the cycle of losing. With Rodgers expected to return in 2024, the team will once again enter the season with high hopes. But as this year has shown, talent alone isn’t enough to overcome what Wilson described as a “losing gene.”
“It’s obviously something this team was built to do, so not doing it is really frustrating,” said tight end Tyler Conklin. “It sucks that mathematically it’s not even a chance anymore. So, yeah, overall it’s just frustrating. There’s nothing we can do about it at this point, but it’s frustrating as hell.”
Originally Written by: Rich Cimini
