We simulated games between the worst New York Jets teams in history to see who’s the best at losing
Yesterday, we took 19 of the best teams in New York Jets history and pitted them against each other in a simulated tournament bracket. It was an all-out war culminating in Freeman McNeil’s 1982 Jets defeating Joe Namath’s 1967 Jets in the championship.
Now, it’s time for another simulated tournament – on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Today’s tournament will feature the 16 teams in Jets history that won fewer than five games. However, there’s a catch – the loser advances. We’re not seeking to crown the best of the worst. We want to crown the worst of the worst.
The mantra in this tournament isn’t “win or go home.” It’s “win and go home.” If you’re in this tournament, your goal is to win as quickly as possible so you can escape the bracket and avoid taking home the dreaded Kotite-Gase Cup.
These games were simulated using What If Sports. I ran the simulator once for each game and used the first result.
Seeding
The teams were seeded based on regular season win percentage, with point differential being the tiebreaker.
- 1970 Jets (4-10, .286, -31)
- 1973 Jets (4-10, .286, -66)
- 2007 Jets (4-12, .250, -87)
- 1980 Jets (4-12, .250, -93)
- 1992 Jets (4-12, .250, -95)
- 2018 Jets (4-12, .250, -108)
- 2005 Jets (4-12, .250, -115)
- 2014 Jets (4-12, .250, -118)
- 1989 Jets (4-12, .250, -158)
- 2021 Jets (4-13, .235, -194)
- 1977 Jets (3-11, .214, -109)
- 1975 Jets (3-11, .214, -175)
- 1976 Jets (3-11, .214 -214)
- 1995 Jets (3-13, .188, -151)
- 2020 Jets (2-14, .125, -214)
- 1996 Jets (1-15, .063, -175)
Bracket
Without further ado, let’s get this thing underway.
Shameful Sixteen
(1) 1970 Jets vs. (16) 1996 Jets
Just two years removed from a Super Bowl victory, the 1970 Jets stumbled to a 4-10 finish as Joe Namath played in only five games and struggled immensely when on the field (5 TD, 12 INT).
The 1996 Jets are easily the favorites of this tournament. Led by Rich Kotite, they bumbled their way to a 1-15 record. This team started three different quarterbacks and all of them threw more interceptions than touchdowns. Couple that with the league’s second-worst scoring defense (28.4 points per game allowed), and you get a 1-win team.
So, can the Kotites pull off the upset to get themselves outta here? Or will Broadway Joe have some dignity even in his injured state?
This one was a wire-to-wire blowout. With two rushing touchdowns from Emerson Boozer and two touchdown passes from Namath, the 1970 Jets roared out to a 31-3 halftime lead, cruising their way to a 37-6 victory.
Frank Reich was tabbed to start for the 1996 squad, and he stunk up the joint, completing 11-of-26 passes for 144 yards. On the ground, the 1996 team only gained 59 yards on 24 attempts.
There are more Namaths in this tournament who will have to defend themselves, but the 27-year-old Joe is safe. Meanwhile, the 1996 team proved it will be extremely tough to outlast.
ADVANCING: 1996 Jets (Lost 37-6)
(8) 2014 Jets vs. (9) 1989 Jets
The 2014 Jets failed to build on the promise of their surprisingly respectable 8-8 campaign in 2013. Geno Smith showed little to no progress while the defense had its worst year under Rex Ryan, causing him to get fired after the year.
The 1989 season was Joe Walton’s last as the Jets’ head coach. Four different quarterbacks started games while the defense was second-worst in points allowed.
Who will survive in this battle of lame-duck head coaches?
Our scoring began at 5:24 in the second quarter as Geno Smith found Eric Decker for a 5-yard touchdown. Smith methodically led the offense to two Nick Folk field goals in the second quarter, opening up a 13-0 lead.
To close the first half, Ken O’Brien led the 1989 Jets on a 13-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Roger Vick. Going into the half, it was a 13-7 lead for the 2014 team.
Coming out of the break, the ’89ers wasted no time making adjustments to exploit the holes in the Jets’ 2014 secondary. Running an angle route against pre-breakout Demario Davis, Freeman McNeil grabbed a short pass and took it 51 yards to the house for a 14-13 lead.
After a few punts were exchanged, the 1989 team extended its lead with a 14-play, 84-yard, 7:48 drive at the start of the fourth quarter, with Ken O’Brien hitting Keith Neubert for a 2-yard touchdown.
Trailing 21-13 with 7:04 remaining, the Jets showed no faith in Geno Smith, although their plan was working for a little while. The Jets ran on 10 consecutive plays, inching their way down to the 1989 team’s 26-yard line with 1:45 remaining as they faced a fourth-and-5.
Surely, this is where Marty Mornhinweg would trust his young quarterback. Or so fans thought? Mornhinweg called a handoff to Chris Ivory, who could only get three yards downfield before he was stopped shy of the marker, securing the win for 1989.
The 2014 team called 42 runs to 19 passes in the loss. Even with the pathetic 1996 team awaiting in the next round, they’ll need to show more trust in Smith to escape this tournament alive. Sure, this version of Geno might be nearly a decade away from his breakout in Seattle, but there must be some way for them to pull that talent out of him, right? Rex had better hope so.
In his postgame press conference, Ryan seemed undeterred, placing an emphasis on keeping the mood light as they prepared for their Egregious Eight matchup against the ’96ers. To accomplish this, he promised that his team will “go eat a damn snack” prior to the next game. When pressed about what kind of snack the team would eat, Ryan replied, “I can’t make any promises on that; I don’t want to end up putting my foot in my mouth.”
ADVANCING: 2014 Jets (Lost 21-13)
(5) 1992 Jets vs. (12) 1975 Jets
The 1992 Jets were coming off an 8-8 season in 1991, which was enough for a wild card spot. Going into 1992, they entrusted the team to Browning Nagle, their 1991 second-round pick who redshirted his rookie season behind Ken O’Brien. The team was expected to at least be average, as they had an over-under of 8.0 wins going into this season. Unfortunately, Nagle was a total flop, throwing seven touchdowns to 17 interceptions as the team went 4-12.
By 1975, Joe Namath was a shell of himself. He was 32 years old with a long track record of injuries on his body. He threw an NFL-high and career-high 28 interceptions on his way to a career-low 51.0 passer rating.
Robert Saleh said last year’s game against the Raiders was a race to 20 points. With these quarterbacks, this game might be a race to 10 points. Let’s see what happened.
Well, if it were a race to 10 points, the race was won quickly by the 1975 team, as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead by the end of the first. Nagle responded with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Rob Moore, but Namath answered back with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Rich Caster. Going into the break, it’s 17-7 in favor of the ’75ers.
After a missed 37-yard field goal by Cary Blanchard, Namath marched his team down to the opponent’s 35-yard line. Apparently, Weeb Ewbank pressed the wrong button on his controller, as he went for it on fourth-and-9 from the 35-yard line. Namath’s pass was incomplete and the 1992 team responded with a 65-yard touchdown drive, finished off by Freeman McNeil from four yards out. This made it 17-14 entering the fourth.
Namath bounced back immediately as he led the 1975 Jets to the opposing 20-yard line on just three plays. On first down, he tried to hit Don Maynard over the middle on a slant, but instead he found Dennis Price, who strutted 91 yards down the sideline for a pick-six and a 20-17 lead.
Once again, Namath was undeterred and led his team down the field. But this time, he finished it off, finding Rich Caster for a 13-yard touchdown to retake a 24-21 lead.
On the next drive, the 1992 team struck back with a 78-yard touchdown run by… Pat Chaffey, a running back who had 32 carries for the Jets in real life.
The 1992 team added another field goal later, and on Namath’s last-chance drive, he threw four consecutive incomplete passes.
Nagle stepped up by his standards, going 12-of-20 for 165 yards, one touchdown, and one pick. In real life, Nagle only had two career starts where he threw for a completion percentage of at least 60% and fewer than two interceptions.
Going into the Egregious Eight, this battered-down version of Namath will need to be more efficient, as he completed just 16-of-37 passes in the loss.
ADVANCING: 1975 Jets (Lost 31-24)
(4) 1980 Jets vs. (13) 1976 Jets
The 1976 Jets were another tail-end Namath-era team that struggled on the back of its injured franchise quarterback.
The 1980 team was a prepubescent Sack Exchange roster. It was a young team with many of the future core pieces of the Sack Exchange era, but they hadn’t put everything together yet. This turned out to be the last year of an 11-year streak with no playoffs. Over the following six seasons (1981-1986), the Jets made the playoffs four times and had the eighth-best regular season record in the NFL.
In our simulation, the young 1980 team fully displayed the elite defensive potential it would fulfill in the coming years. They held a 33-year-old Joe Namath to 5-of-24 passing for 101 yards and two interceptions on their way to a dominant 30-3 victory.
In the Egregious Eight, 33-year-old Namath will meet 32-year-old Namath.
While they are the 13 seed, this 1976 team might be the strongest contender to take the Kotite-Gase Cup. Their -214 point differential is tied with the 2020 squad for the worst in franchise history, but they played two fewer games, so their average point differential of -15.3 is the worst in franchise history. Look out for this juggernaut in the next round.
ADVANCING: 1976 Jets (Lost 30-3)
(3) 2007 Jets vs. (14) 1995 Jets
The 2007 season was Chad Pennington’s final year with the Jets and Eric Mangini’s second as the head coach.
The 1995 season was Rich Kotite’s first year as the Jets’ head coach. The team was slightly less terrible than its 1996 counterpart. It was Boomer Esiason’s third and final year at quarterback.
The first half of this game was a kicking competition, featuring four field goals and seven punts. Mike Nugent made three of the field goals, giving the 2007 team a 9-3 halftime lead.
After two more punts, the 1995 run game took over in the third quarter. They forged an 88-yard drive in which 67 of the yards were gained on the ground, capped off by a 6-yard Adrian Murrell touchdown. This made it 10-9 in favor of the strongest Rich Kotite-led team in Jets history (hey, you can’t argue with that).
On the ensuing drive, Chad Pennington took a shot to Laveranues Coles and completed the pass – to current Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who took it 72 yards the other way for a 17-9 lead. The 1995 defense shut out Pennington’s offense the rest of the way, and that’s how this tale will end.
Mangini’s team needs more from Pennington in the Egregious Eight. In the loss, Pennington went 15-of-31 for 178 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.
ADVANCING: 2007 Jets (Lost 17-9)
(6) 2018 Jets vs. (11) 1977 Jets
The 2018 season was an odd juncture for the Jets. After a surprisingly respectable 2017 season, they spent a truckload of money to strengthen the roster in hopes of being a wild card competitor in Todd Bowles’ fourth season. Much of that money was spent on defense, though, which was strange considering they would trade up in the draft for a 21-year-old rookie quarterback. This left the rookie quarterback to play under a lame-duck defensive head coach with a barren offensive supporting cast.
The 1977 season began a new era. It was the team’s first year without Joe Namath, Walt Michaels’ first year as the head coach, and Richard Todd’s first year as the primary starting quarterback. While this team was young and endured immense growing pains, the Jets’ 1977 draft was an all-timer, yielding four franchise legends in Marvin Powell, Wesley Walker, Joe Klecko, and Dan Alexander.
The simulator had a cruel sense of humor in this one. After the ’77ers opened with a field goal, Sam Darnold was picked off on his second pass attempt. It wasn’t taken to the house, but on the very first play of the ensuing drive, Richard Todd hit Wesley Walker for a 31-yard touchdown, burning Trumaine Johnson.
Darnold kept a cool head and responded with a 71-yard touchdown drive, cemented by Isaiah Crowell’s 9-yard rushing score. After the defense forced a couple of punts, Darnold threw touchdown passes to Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson, opening a 21-10 lead with under one minute left in the half.
With the game getting out of hand, the young 1977 Jets decided to play aggressively instead of taking a knee. This backfired as Todd was picked off by Morris Claiborne. After a 37-yard Isaiah Crowell run, Jason Myers nailed a 39-yard field goal as time expired to give the 2018 Jets a 24-10 halftime lead.
The Bowles Boys kept the good times rolling in the third quarter, as Bilal Powell scampered for a 30-yard touchdown on the opening drive, making it 31-10.
But the 1977 team wasn’t ready to lie down just yet. Walker burned Johnson again for a 40-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Darnold was picked off by Burgess Owens, leading to a 7-yard touchdown run by Charles White. This made it 31-23.
Darnold didn’t fold. On the first two plays of the next drive, he completed two passes to Quincy Enunwa for a combined 57 yards. Later in the drive, Bilal Powell scored from six yards out to pad the lead. That was enough for the 2018 team to stave off the comeback, as they ran away with a 38-23 victory.
This young version of Todd will square off against an older version of Pennington in the Egregious Eight.
ADVANCING: 1977 Jets (Lost 38-23)
(7) 2005 Jets vs. (10) 2021 Jets
2005 was the Brooks Bollinger season. After Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler went down in Week 3, the Jets turned to Bollinger, then to 41-year-old Vinny Testaverde, and then back to Bollinger. Both quarterbacks were brutal. This turned out to be Herm Edwards’ final season with the Jets.
Whereas 2005 was the end of Edwards’ run, 2021 was the beginning of Robert Saleh’s tenure. The former 49ers defensive coordinator inherited a young team that was still very early in its rebuild, having won only two games the previous season. The decision to start a rookie quarterback in Week 1 only made it tougher for this team to win games.
With inexperience across both the roster and coaching staff, the 2021 team was completely outmatched in many of its games. This team’s 4-13 record actually overrates them a little bit; their -194 point differential stands as the third-worst in franchise history. Their average margin of defeat was 16.3.
Purely looking at the quarterback matchup, Bollinger-versus-Wilson could be the stinkiest bout we’ve seen so far. This will be a thrill.
After exchanging punts to start the game, Bollinger was picked off by Brandin Echols. Wilson responded with a great drive in which he completed six of seven passes, setting up a 7-yard rushing touchdown by Michael Carter. More punts followed until Eddy Pineiro extended the lead to 10-0 with 6:23 left in the second.
The 2005 team then showed its first signs of life. The 32-year-old version of Curtis Martin (this was his final NFL season, and he averaged only 3.3 yards per carry) busted out a 32-yard run on a draw play to spark his team. Bollinger hit Justin McCareins for 19 yards, and two plays later, Cedric Houston ran one in from 11 yards out, making it 10-7.
With 35 seconds left in the half, Wilson led the Jets 28 yards down the field in 29 seconds to set up a 48-yard Pineiro field goal, making it 13-7 going into halftime.
After a couple of punts to start the third, we started to see the action that everyone paid to see. Here is exactly what the play-by-play yielded at What If Sports:
“Wilson overthrows Berrios and the pass is incomplete.”
“Wilson’s screen pass falls incomplete.”
“Wilson’s pass is intercepted. Ty Law returns the interception 41 yards for a touchdown.”
Law’s pick-six of Wilson put the 2005 team up 14-13.
Wilson apparently got injured on that play, as Mike White was in for the next drive, which ended in a punt. Wilson returned for the following drive.
These two grotesque offenses continued exchanging punts throughout the second half. When it was all said and done, both teams punted eight times.
Wilson got the ball back at his own 11-yard line with 1:47 on the clock and a one-point deficit. After a handful of short gains, Wilson hit Carter for a 22-yard completion to get the Jets down to the opposing 38-yard line. Three straight incompletions followed, leaving Eddy Pineiro to try a 55-yard attempt for the win. Mind you, in real life, Eddy Pineiro’s career-long is 56 yards – when the 2021 season was over, his career-long was 53.
Zach Wilson. Brooks Bollinger. A clash of titans. A bout of beasts. A conflict of conquerors. They fought punch-for-punch to get to this point. And now it all relies on the leg of one man. All these two legends can do is sit and watch. Holding their breath. Staring intently at a slab of leather as it floats through the muggy Meadowlands air. It’s an unmatched feeling of helplessness.
BOOM! It sounds sublime coming off Pineiro’s leg. He got all of this one. It clearly has the distance. But will it stay between the two giant yellow poles that lie ahead?
NO! WIDE RIGHT! BOLLINGER HAS DONE IT!
This one lived up to the hype. Wilson went 17-of-38 for 179 yards with no touchdowns and a pick-six. Bollinger went 11-of-23 for 154 yards with no touchdowns and two picks.
Brooks has taken enough flack from Jets fans over the past two decades, so with this victory, he’ll be spared from further ribbing. Wilson, though, must forge onward.
ADVANCING: 2021 Jets (Lost 14-13)
(2) 2020 Jets vs. (15) 1973 Jets
Our final matchup of the Shameful Sixteen pits one of the worst NFL teams of all time against a 1973 Jets team that, much like the other 1970s Jets teams in this bracket, struggled largely due to an old and injured Joe Namath. This was also the Jets’ first season in franchise history without Don Maynard.
The 2020 team will be very difficult to knock out of this bracket due to an offense that has everything you want in a Kotite-Gase Cup contender. They won the 2020 Quadruple Crown of Cruddiness, finishing 32nd in points per game, yards per game, third down conversion rate, and red zone offense. With the worst version of Darnold at quarterback, a 37-year-old Frank Gore in the backfield, a brutal offensive line, and a receiver room headlined by Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman, this team has its sights set on being the last group standing.
Or do they?
Being the opening-script savant that he is, Adam Gase came out of the gates with a 12-play, 74-yard masterclass that ended with a 8-yard touchdown run by Gore.
With Al Woodall at quarterback, the 1973 team answered right back, going 80 yards on 10 plays and finishing it off with a 23-yard touchdown reception by Jerome Barkum. We’re knotted up at 7-7 after two stellar drives. Are we in for a shootout?
Gase clapped back with another 10-play drive, although Darnold overthrew an open Berrios in the end zone, leading to a 27-yard field goal by Sam Ficken.
In typical Gase fashion, he ran out of ideas after going through his opening script. A punt-fest ensued, with the 1973 team closing out the half by using a short field to set up a 46-yard make by Bobby Howfield. Going into halftime, it was 10-10.
On their first drive of the second half, Gase cooked up a 42-yard completion up the seam to Chris Herndon, although the Jets stalled in the red zone. A 25-yard field goal put the 2020 team up 13-10. Could they actually pull this off?
We haven’t yet talked about the 2020 team’s abysmal defense, which allowed at least 30 points in nine of its 16 games. In this simulated duel, they stayed quiet through for the first 37 minutes, but the cracks started showing in the third quarter. Emerson Boozer broke a James Burgess tackle on his way to a 48-yard touchdown run, and on their next possession, Boozer exploded for a 46-yard run, setting up a 3-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Bell. Suddenly, it’s 24-13.
After some more Darnold punts, the 1973 team began running away with it. Boozer added another touchdown, and after a turnover on downs, the ’73 crew used a short field for a 14-yard rushing touchdown by Mike Adamle. Darnold was benched for Flacco in garbage time, and the 2020 team went out with a whimper.
In the 38-13 defeat, Darnold went 11-of-32 for 187 yards while Frank Gore rushed 14 times for 27 yards. Ah, good times.
The 2020 Jets’ victory sets up a highly anticipated matchup with the 2021 Jets in the Egregious Eight. I’m not sure I can contain my excitement.
ADVANCING: 2020 Jets (Lost 38-13)
Egregious Eight
(8) 2014 Jets vs. (16) 1996 Jets
The 2014 Jets opened with a three-and-out that featured three straight runs for a total of one yard. Clearly, Mornhinweg did not open Twitter during the week leading into this game after his 40-plus-run, sub-20-passes outing in the Shameful Sixteen.
But the defense provided a spark, as David Harris picked off Frank Reich on the ensuing drive. Mornhinweg responded with eight straight runs before Geno Smith missed Percy Harvin on third-and-3, leading to a 32-yard Nick Folk field goal to get the scoring underway.
Nick Lowery missed a 46-yard field goal in response, and Nick Folk came back with a 48-yard connection, making it 6-0. This lead stood all the way through the two-minute warning.
Punts were exchanged throughout the second quarter until lightning struck with 55 ticks on the clock. Frank Reich took a shot and found Jeff Graham for the 44-yard score, taking a 7-6 lead.
The 2014 Jets went three-and-out, and due to a timeout from Kotite and two incompletions by Smith, Reich got the ball back at his own 43-yard line with 19 seconds left and two timeouts. With an 18-yard completion to Wayne Chrebet and a 12-yard completion to Richie Anderson, Reich set up Nick Lowery for a 44-yard attempt, which he made this time around. Suddenly, it was 10-6 in favor of the 16-seed at halftime.
To begin the second half, the 1996 team punted, but they pinned Geno back at his own 1-yard line. No matter. Eighteen plays later, Chris Ivory punched the ball in from one yard out, giving his squad a 13-10 lead. This drive lasted 10 minutes and 58 seconds, meaning the 1996 team could only get one more play in before the fourth quarter.
On the next drive, Reich drove the Jets down to the 19-yard line, where they faced a fourth-and-2. The conventional wisdom of 1996 would tell you to tie the game up here. You’re down three points with 10:36 left in the fourth and have a 37-yard chip shot at your disposal.
Now, I don’t know what year this game took place. Did the 1996 team travel to 2014? Is all of this taking place in 2024? But, somehow, Kotite must have snatched an analytical research paper from a PFF nerd before the game, because he elected to go for it in this situation. And I don’t even disagree with him! As you all know, I’m somewhat of an analytics nerd myself. But… you’re the 1996 Jets. I don’t know, maybe just tie it up here?
The 1996 Jets came out in 11 personnel with Reich in the shotgun and Murrell beside him in the backfield. He identified the matchup he wanted – Chrebet manned up in the slot against Darrin Walls. Chrebet threw a double move on Walls and had him beat over the middle on a slant. Reich made the pass, and it was too far out of Chrebet’s reach. Turnover.
Punts were exchanged over the next three drives, giving Reich the ball at his own 16 with 3:25 remaining, still down by three. Reich bombed it to Kyle Brady for a 30-yard gain at the two-minute warning, putting his squad at their own 47-yard line. After three straight incompletions, they faced fourth-and-10. And who did Reich find? None other than Kyle Brady once again, picking up 18 yards. Reich caught fire from here, hitting Keyshawn Johnson for 22 yards and capping it off with a 13-yard touchdown to Richie Anderson. It’s 17-13 with 1:17 left.
Smith methodically moves the 2014 Jets down the field, but too much time is chewed up. With 39 seconds left, Geno checked it down to Chris Ivory for five yards, and despite having one timeout left, the Jets hurried up to the line and ran a play, which resulted in a pass batted at the line. This ate up 20 seconds. The Jets got in three more plays, including a 10-yard completion to Jeremy Kerley, but they were forced to try a last-ditch Hail Mary from the 22-yard line with three seconds left.
Smith dropped back. It was only a three-man rush, but he was pressured from the right side due to a huge whiff from Breno Giacomini. Smith evaded a couple of defenders, stepped up, and uncorked a grenade destined for paydirt. It flew, and flew, and flew, until it dropped into a sea of Jets players – half of them still yet to learn what an iPod is.
These were the 1996 Jets – the masters of figuring out how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Of course it would end this way.
Eric Decker got out in front and leaped for the ball. It was all his. He high-pointed it, came down with it, and the game was over. Touchdown 2014 Jets.
Or – hold up. Wait a minute. Did the replay just show that ball leaking out? DID HE COMPLETE THE PROCESS OF THE CATCH?
This phrase didn’t exist yet in 1996, so Kotite would have never thought to challenge anyway, but it’s no matter, as scoring plays are automatically reviewed.
INCOMPLETE.
They’ve won! The 1996 Jets have won! Do you believe in miracles!?
Mornhinweg is under fire on Twitter for another conservative game plan. Smith attempted 21 passes while the Jets called 48 runs.
However, as Twitter user @NotMartyMornhinweg points out, “It’s hard to pass the ball when your QB went 10-of-21 for 97 yards!!” A small group of savvy fans have begun speculating that this account might be Mornhinweg’s burner.
Our top seed is out prior to the Faulty Four. It’s anybody’s tournament now.
ADVANCING: 2014 Jets (Lost 17-13)
(12) 1975 Jets vs. (13) 1976 Jets
Remember when I told you to watch out for this 1976 team because they have the worst per-game point differential in Jets history? I think I was onto something.
The 1975 Jets romped their 1976 clones to the tune of a 38-9 blowout. The 1975 version of Joe Namath threw for 286 yards on just 22 passes, stunting on the 1976 Joe Namath, who threw three picks and went 11-of-26 for 137 yards.
Through two games, the 1975 Jets have been outscored 75-15. The 2014 Jets await in the Faulty Four. While that team carries a remarkably pungent stench in its own right, each of its losses in this tournament was by one score. The 1975 team will be heavily favored to advance.
ADVANCING: 1976 Jets (Lost 38-9)
(3) 2007 Jets vs. (13) 1977 Jets
In another blowout, the 2007 Jets steamrolled the 1977 Jets on their way to a 27-6 victory. If not for two missed field goals by Mike Nugent, the score could have been even more lopsided.
ADVANCING: 1977 Jets (Lost 27-6)
(10) 2021 Jets vs. (15) 2020 Jets
Gase vs. Saleh.
Zach vs. Sam.
Herndon vs. Kroft.
We are in for an all-time classic.
Any guess what happened on the opening drive? If you can’t figure it out, you didn’t pay close enough attention in 2020 or throughout this article.
That’s right, Adam Gase did it again. He cooked up a seven-play, 71-yard touchdown drive to open the game, topped off with an 11-yard touchdown by Braxton Berrios on a screen. The Gases forced a punt and added a 46-yard field goal on the next drive for a 10-0 lead at the end of the first.
After forcing the Salehs into another punt, Darnold was picked off by John Franklin-Myers, setting the Salehs up inside the 25-yard line. Predictably, this drive stalled, and Eddy Pineiro hit a 32-yarder to get his men on the board.
A holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff buried Darnold at his own 5-yard line. Saleh went deep into his bag by pulling out back-to-back blitzes, an unusual play for him. Following sacks by Michael Carter II and Quincy Williams, the Gases punted out of their own end zone, setting the Salehs up at the opposing 40.
Outside of a 16-yard catch by Elijah Moore, it was an uneventful drive, and Pineiro hit another field goal to make it 10-6.
Things started to get wild after that. Darnold immediately responded with four straight completions for 71 yards, leading to an 11-yard touchdown run by Ty Johnson with 1:54 on the clock. Wilson responded with an eight-play, 77-yard touchdown drive in just 68 seconds, capped off by a touchdown run from the other Ty Johnson. But a missed extra point by Pineiro kept the 2020 lead at 17-12.
Getting the ball back with 38 seconds on the clock, Darnold drove the Jets 48 yards on four plays, setting up a 40-yard Ficken field goal. Going into the half, it was 20-12 in favor of the 2020 team.
The third quarter was a punt-fest outside of a Pineiro field goal to cut the lead to 20-15. Ficken answered back early in the fourth to push the lead back up to eight, and that’s where the action picked up.
Mike LaFleur was in his bag on this day. After scheming up a 48-yard screen play for Jamison Crowder, he orchestrates an 11-yard screen touchdown for Ty Johnson, cutting the lead to two points. However, Wilson’s pass intended for Corey Davis fell incomplete on the two-point attempt, leaving the score at 23-21.
After forcing a three-and-out, Berrios (the 2021 edition) broke loose for a big return that put the Salehs at the opposing 27. They couldn’t punch it in, but a 25-yard field goal put them up 24-23 with 4:35 left.
Not wanting to be outdone by his clone, the 2020 version of Berrios unleashed a 77-yard kickoff return that set up Gase’s squad at the opposing 21. After picking up one first down, they had to settle for a 24-yard field goal, giving them a 26-24 lead with 1:51 remaining.
LaFleur trusted Zach Wilson to throw the ball on every play of this final drive – and the kid delivered. He drove the team 44 yards on eight plays, and with 0:26 left, Eddy Pineiro put the 2021 Jets up 27-26 with just 26 seconds left.
A 10-yard scramble by Darnold got things off on the right foot. But a sack by Blake Cashman all but ended the drive, forcing a last-ditch Hail Mary from 72 yards away. It fell to the turf, and the 2021 Jets came away victorious.
With the 1996 squad eliminated, the 2020 team is the new favorite to take home the Kotite-Gase Cup. Their ability to choke in the clutch moments is a key trait that should help them in their journey. As bad as this team was, they did find themselves in a handful of close games, but they often found some very creative ways to blow it (hello, Gregg Williams).
The 2021 team was actually somewhat respectable in clutch situations, going 4-5 in one-score games. The problem was that they were 0-7 in multi-score games.
Going into the Faulty Four, die-hard fans of the 2020 team are begging Gase to make some changes to the offensive line. Darnold was sacked six times in the loss, including two apiece by Quincy Williams and John Franklin-Myers. If they are going to successfully avoid winning a tank race for the second time, they must provide Darnold with better protection.
ADVANCING: 2020 Jets (Lost 27-26)
Faulty Four
(8) 2014 Jets vs. (13) 1976 Jets
This game had 16 punts and no turnovers, so there wasn’t much of note to talk about.
Going into halftime, our only scoring came from two Nick Folk field goals. After a punt-filled third quarter, the Jets broke the lid off in the fourth with a 15-play, 87-yard drive that ate 8:46 off the clock. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 12-0.
Namath responded with a 13-play drive, although he whiffed on his last three passes for the turnover on downs. That was all she wrote as the 2014 Jets gutted out a 12-0 win.
The 1976 Jets deserve their spot in the Kotite-Gase Cup Final thanks to their franchise-low point differential. The second-worst team, the 2020 squad, is also still alive. Will these two powerhouses meet in the final round?
ADVANCING: 1976 Jets (Lost 12-0)
(11) 1977 Jets vs. (15) 2020 Jets
In another snoozer, we didn’t see a score until the second quarter when a Rich Caster touchdown reception put his team up 6-0 (missed XP). Chris Herndon responded with a 2-yard touchdown pass, but Scott Dierking’s 12-yard touchdown run made it 13-7 at halftime.
The only second-half score was a 44-yard Pat Leahy field goal to pad the lead to 16-7. It was a classic stinker from the 2020 Jets offense, earning them a rightful spot in the final.
Going into the last round, perhaps the Jets have found some form of life in rookie running back Lahmical or Lamickal Parrin (?) or Perrin (?), who led the team with 58 rushing yards on over six yards per carry.
ADVANCING: 2020 Jets (Lost 16-7)
Kotite-Gase Cup Final
(13) 1976 Jets vs. (15) 2020 Jets
It was always destined to end this way. These are the two worst teams in Jets history based on point differential. I can’t wait (for this to be over) to see who comes out on top.
Wow. I couldn’t have imagined they had this in them, but the 2020 offense popped off on the biggest stage of them all, cruising its way to a 31-6 blowout.
Gore, Perine, and Darnold all ran for touchdowns in the victory. Arthur Maulet registered a 90-yard pick-six off Joe Namath. Marcus Maye, Tarell Basham, John Franklin-Myers, and Quinnen Williams all sacked Broadway Joe.
Congratulations (I guess?) to the Kotite-Gase Cup Champions, the 1976 New York Jets.
YOUR CHAMPIONS: 1976 Jets (Lost 31-6)
