It just hasn't been the New York Jets' year in 2024. They're 4-10, which means they're eliminated from postseason contention for the 14th consecutive season. That's the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports -- NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL.
The drought and underwhelming on-field performance may not be the most embarrassing thing that's happened to them this season. The Athletic reported Jets owner Woody Johnson's teenage sons possess influence over New York's personnel decisions, which is why the team reportedly factored in a "Madden rating" and didn't trade for then-Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy has gone on to a have a career year in 2024, reaching 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in a season in Year 1 as a Cleveland Brown. Only 2024 NFL season receiving yards leader Ja'Marr Chase (793) has more yards receiving than Jeudy (786) since Week 8.
Now, even the game show "Jeopardy" is punching down on the Jets. Thursday's night episode featured a sports question for its "Final Jeopardy!" hint. The question's category was Super Bowl History.
The clue read: "It's the only team to play in the Super Bowl before Neil Armstrong's Moon Walk that has not been back to the big game since."
One contestant, Neal Bowling, wagered $7,000 and guessed the Cleveland Browns, who have never appeared in a Super Bowl. The show's current, reigning champion Eric Weldon-Schilling guessed the New York Giants, which is wrong given they won two Super Bowls in the late 1980's (1986 season) and the early 1990's (1990 season) as well as two more in the late 2000's (2007 season) and early 2010's (2011 season). Thursday night's leader Laura Faddah surmised the answer was "Houston." That was also incorrect since the Texans have never reached a Super Bowl, and the Houston Oilers, the present day Tennessee Titans, didn't play in a Super Bowl prior to the moon landing.
The Jets were the correct answer.
Host Ken Jennings proceeded to pile on while revealing the Jets were the right answer.
"The Packers, the Colts, the Raiders and the Chiefs have all been back," Jennings said, via Mass Live, Thursday night. "But the winners of Super Bowl III, the Jets, are having a pretty rough 55-year streak, I think."
Chalk 2024 up as another year the Jets would soon like to forget.