What Went Wrong: Grounded

Normally, my "What Went Wrong" stories are reserved for hockey and baseball (and basketball if I wanted to), because those sports have a playoff series format. Football doesn't. The only time I could do a "What Went Wrong" about a football elimination is at some point during the regular season or after it, and even then, I can't mention all of them. 18 out of 32 teams miss the playoffs every year, and to make an eliminated NFL eam the subject of "What Went Wrong," it has to be monumental.

I'd say the New York Jets being a massive embarrassment on so many levels qualifies as "monumental."

Before I talk about this Sunday's game and this season for the Jets, let's turn back the clock, shall we?

January 4, 2003

The 2002 season was an interesting one for the entire NFL. Part of that interest was the New York Jets winning the AFC East that year at 9-7. I remember that season for them; they outlasted a New England Patriots team who came off winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history, and managed to take the AFC East crown. On January 4, 2003, the Jets hosted the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card Playoff, and it was an easy win for New York, as they blasted the Colts 41-0. The Jets would be ousted in the following round by the top-seeded Oakland Raiders, who would go on to Super Bowl XXXVII.

Why am I mentioning this? 2002 was the last time that the Jets won the division, and also the last time that the Jets hosted a playoff game? Wanna know how long ago that was? For one, the Jets (and Giants) played at the old Giants Stadium. Also, 2002 was the Houston Texans' first year in play, and it was also the year that the divisions were realigned to the current format. In addition, the Jets' Wild Card Playoff aired on ABC Sports, back when ABC Sports was a thing and not serving as an alternate for ESPN. Outside of the NFL, Patrick Roy was in the NHL at the time, the Anaheim Angels were on their way to winning the World Series, WWE's original Brand Extension was less than a year old, and on a personal note, I was in my senior year of high school at that time. Yeah.

January 23, 2011

Who here remembers the 2010 season? I sure as hell do for obvious reasons, but in that year, the Jets snagged a Wild Card position, and ran wild with it again. They were coming off a surprise Cinderella run to the AFC Championship Game, and they liked it so much that they decided to do it again. Their run actually included beating the Brady/Belichick Patriots in Foxboro in the Divisional Playoff, and they returned to the Final Four, only for the Pittsburgh Steelers to oust them.

That year's AFC Championship, played on January 23, 2011, was the last playoff game that the Jets played in, meaning that the Jets' last playoff win to date was against Brady and Belichick. You know how long ago that was? MetLife Stadium, the Jets and Giants' current home? It was in its first season that year. They have yet to host a Jets playoff game, but they've hosted a Giants playoff game, as well as a Super Bowl. Speaking of the Super Bowl, the Jets' current QB won the Super Bowl that year for the Packers.

Let's talk about him, shall we?

2023 and 2024 Seasons

When Aaron Rodgers joined the New York Jets after many years with the Packers, it got a lot of buzz. The Jets had a real QB for the first time in forever. Things were looking up for the team. Fans had reasons to actually get excited for the Jets. And then, after four plays... vanquished. Achilles' heel injury, done for the season. Jets had to go back to Zach Wilson, but in spite of this, the Jets didn't do too badly. A 7-10 season. No playoffs, but still, a record like that gave Jets fans reason to boast, and they really did boast. With Rodgers ready to return in 2024, Jets fans were salivating. Forget playoffs, forget winning the AFC East, Jets fans saw New Orleans (the home of Super Bowl LIX). So many Jets fans believed that Rodgers would be the one thing that would put them over the hump.

And then, after a 2-3 start, Robert Saleh got fired as head coach.

We all know Rodgers was behind it, but for some reason, Jets fans actually thought Saleh was the problem. Jets won one game after that firing. They were much better than this last year with Zach Wilson. The Jets entered this week facing elimination, and that's when Rodgers had a hell of a game; he surpassed 300 for the first time as a Jet. Game went to overtime. Dolphins won the toss, went all the way, game over, season over for the Jets. Aaron Rodgers' season ended without him having the ball in overtime. I've heard this song before.

Now, I am not saying Rodgers is the sole cause of this shitshow, but he is definitely the catalyst of this. He's the one who had Saleh fired, he brought in nearly all of his ex-Packers cohorts (the main one being Davante Adams), he scapegoated a lot of players and ran Mike Williams off the team, all for one win in that span since Saleh got canned. This is not the same Aaron Rodgers I remember. He has lost the ability to deliver that big drive at the end. It comes with age, though I've heard a few talking heads say that the Jets got Rodgers because they saw Brady show out at an advanced age with a different team and figured they'd see that with Rodgers. Players age differently. Some still have it, some regress.

2024 was supposed to be a dream season for the Jets, but it became a nightmare. They were supposed to go far, but instead, they were eliminated six days after Rodgers turned 41. It's now 14 straight seasons without playoffs for the Jets. That is the longest current playoff drought in sports, even longer than the Buffalo Sabres' current Stanley Cup Playoff drought (but not by much). The Jets will have to win out to even match that 7-10 record from their past two seasons. This is an absolute embarrassment, but according to stories, there's a good chance Rodgers will be back with the Jets in 2025. I wonder who the coach will be. I know this, when it comes to the New York Jets, it'll get worse before it gets even close to being better.