Other fanbases around the country spend their Decembers studying the traditional NFL standings, mapping out a road to the playoffs. New York Jets fans turn to Tankathon each year, hoping to be compensated with some semblance of a reward for sitting through their favorite team’s futility.
Four years after their heated race for the prize of Trevor Lawrence, the Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars find themselves entrenched in another tank battle. Of course, this warfare of ineptitude is of no concern to the players and coaches of each franchise, but you can be sure that large chunks of both downtrodden fanbases are aware of what’s at stake.
Both eliminated from the playoffs at 3-10, the Jets (owners of the #7 pick) and Jaguars (#5) will have major draft-order implications on the line when they meet in northeastern Florida this weekend. The loser has a chance to possess the first overall pick by week’s end if certain results fall their way, while the winner could stoop as low as the eighth pick.
It is up for debate whether Jets owner Woody Johnson is aware of or invested in this race, but his announcement on Friday afternoon is sure to excite Jets fans who have embraced the tank. Taking to X, Johnson revealed that the team will be donning its infamous combination of white jerseys and green pants in Jacksonville.
For those who are unaware, the Jets’ track record in this uniform combination is astoundingly rotten. New York has lost 11 consecutive games in white-on-green. The franchise’s last win in the cursed getup was over five years ago, coming in Week 11 of the 2019 season against the Washington (Redacted).
Not only are the Jets on an 11-game losing streak in this combo, but they usually are beaten into the ground. Their average margin of defeat across the streak is a whopping 19.2 points; they are averaging 11 points per game while allowing 30.2.
The Jets last wore white-on-green in their 2024 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, losing 32-19 in a game that was not even that close. After that debacle, the Jets elected to go with white pants anytime they wore their white jerseys. Sunday will mark the end of a four-game streak in which the Jets chose all-white over white-on-green in situations where either was an option.
New York went 0-4 in those games, so it’s not as if Woody is ditching a better alternative. The Jets’ best combination this season has been all-black, going 2-1.
Nobody knows if Woody has his eyes on a higher draft pick, but if he does, this was a smart move on his part. The players, meanwhile, will seek to thwart fans’ taking dreams (as they absolutely should), and perhaps more importantly, end the franchise’s run of futility in the “Peter Griffins.”
This is not the only curse New York will attempt to break on Sunday. The Jets also have a chance to exact vengeance on Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones, who is 5-0 against his former AFC East rivals. Jones is coming off his first win as the Jaguars’ starter, eking out a 10-6 win in Tennessee despite throwing no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Jones, who has thrown five interceptions on just 123 pass attempts this season (4.1% interception rate), should provide ample takeaway opportunities for a starving Jets defense that only has two interceptions in 2024. They have gone eight consecutive games without an interception, last picking off Sam Darnold on October 6.
