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The New York Jets are infamously on the longest active playoff drought in the NFL. Having made their last postseason appearance in 2010, the outfit scrapes near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to playoff success.
Ever since their magnificent playoff run to the 2010 AFC championship game under Rex Ryan, the Jets have constantly been caught lacking on offense, defense, or a combination of both. Nonetheless, that glorious campaign 13 years ago was truly one to remember.
With Ryan being a defensive coach, the team didn't boast a top-10 offense that season. However, they did sport the No. 6 defense in pro football, starring CB Darrelle Revis, LB David Harris and DB Dwight Lowery, who took two picks to the house that year.
Stacked 3-4 on defense, Ryan forged himself one of the most feared units in the NFL. Pro Bowler Revis led a defense that more than compensated for an underwhelming offense featuring quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Still, capitalizing on offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's Air Coryell schemes, running back LaDainian Tomlinson ran New York straight into the playoffs at 11-5.
That said, how come the franchise failed to replicate their 2010 success even 13 years later?
Where did the New York Jets go wrong with their NFL failures?
While the New York Jets' 13-year playoff drought could be attributed to sharing the AFC East with powerhouses like Tom Brady and the Patriots and more recently Josh Allen and the Bills, there's still something to be said for the internal workings of the team. Their regular season failures are arguably due to their lack of direction just as much as their tough opponents.
Riding high on their deep run in the 2010 playoffs, the Jets went into 2011 with a very similar look all around. However, the one major change was LaDainian Tomlinson not being the outfit's bell-cow back anymore, having been replaced by third-year running back Shonn Greene.
While Greene slotted surprisingly well into LT's role, recording 1,054 rushing yards, the team didn't gel. Their defense fell to 20th in the NFL, and having the No.13 offense wasn't enough to compensate. They went 8-8 and narrowly missed the playoffs.
Rex Ryan brought about needed change the following 2012 season. Offensive coordinator Tony Sparano was brought in with hopes that his run-powered offensive schemes would be the solution to the Jets' problems. However, they were far from it.
With a 6-10 record, the Jets ran the fifth-worst offense in the league that season, not even averaging 18 points a game. Moreover, ranking 20th in the NFL, their defense also left much to desire. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was sent packing, as was Sparano. Coach Ryan was nearing the hot seat and looked for answers in OC Marty Mornhinweg and DC Dennis Thurman for 2013.
The Mark Sanchez project was finally abandoned and young blood was drafted in the form of West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. With Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman's genius behind a 3-4 defense, and a revamped West Coast offense run by a fresh quarterback, there were thought to be new horizons in New York. Nonetheless, it was all to no avail yet again.
While an 8-8 season isn't bad for a second-round rookie quarterback, it wasn't within range of what Ryan had envisaged for 2013. This time, they had the fourth-worst offense, and their defense ranked 19th in the NFL. They claimed the second seed in a poor AFC East, but Ryan was finally in the hot seat heading into 2014.
Largely clinging to his offseason moves from the season before, he kept his coordinators and quarterback, with wideouts Eric Decker and Percy Harvin being the only notable additions. But while expected to go 5-11 on the campaign, they went 4-12, ranking in the bottom 10 on both sides of the ball. Ryan and his coordinators were sent packing by season's end, and enter Todd Bowles.
Having had great success coaching secondaries on a number of teams, Bowles had previously been honing his defensive schemes under Bruce Arians, Andy Reid, as well as the very Tony Sparano who served as OC under Rex Ryan. Nonetheless, Bowles surprisingly lifted what was a broken team at that point.
With OC Chan Gailey and DC Kacy Rodgers, the Jets went on a storybook 10-6 run in 2015 with "Fritz-magic" Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing 31 touchdowns. Gailey's Erhardt-Perkins schemes saw the Jets boasting two Pro Bowl skill players on offense for the first time in a long time. Running back Chris Ivory and wideout Brandon Marshall made the bowl, along with center Nick Mangold.
But their regular season success was sadly limited to just the regular season. 10-6 wasn't even enough to get them a wild-card spot, sitting behind 12-4 division leaders the New England Patriots. Todd Bowles, unfortunately, turned out to be nothing more than a one-hit wonder under the Jets. His fairytale run of 2015 proved to be just that: a fairytale.
Booking losing records the following three straight seasons, the head coach was shown the door after their 2018 campaign. Turned out not Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown or Sam Darnold made for solid franchise quarterbacks. Under ensuing head coach Adam Gase, the outfit continued their losing efforts, with Gase having been sent packing after his 2-14 season in 2020.
Although things somewhat started to look up under former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Woody Johnson's Jets are yet to stamp their tickets to the playoffs for the first time since that glorious run of 2010.
