ClutchPoints
The New York Jets do not have the richest of histories among NFL teams. New York is currently in a 14-year playoff drought, the longest active drought in North American sports. With only one championship, there is an obvious top spot in the rankings. But who else, besides Joe Namath and the Super Bowl III champions, makes the top ten Jets teams of all time?
The 1985 New York Jets won the most regular-season games of their five Wild Card losses. They went 11-5 on the shoulders of 25-year-old Ken O’Brien’s best season. He threw for 3,888 yards, a career high, and 25 touchdowns, tied for his career high, in the regular season. Joe Klecko and Marty Lyons led the defense, considered one of the best in the league. They finished second in the AFC East, one game behind the Miami Dolphins.
The Jets hosted the New England Patriots on December 28, 1985, and were three-point favorites, according to Pro Football Reference. Despite beating the Pats at home in November, they could not keep up with their rivals. O’Brien was knocked out of the game with a concussion, thrusting Pat Ryan into the game. That did not work out, and the Patriots won 26-10.
From here on in the Jets’ greatest team rankings, every team has at least made the Divisional Round of the postseason. At number nine is a team that won nine games and the AFC East. Chad Pennington and the 2002 Jets lost four consecutive games before their Week 6 bye. After that, they won eight of their final 11 games to win the AFC East. Pennington started 12 games, throwing for over 3,000 yards. And Curtis Martin was sensational, with 1.094 yards and seven touchdowns.
The division win did not get the Jets the bye. So, they hosted Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. New York won 41-0 in their most recent home playoff game, as of the end of the 2024 season. The Jets went on to Oakland, where the Raiders won 30-10 on their way to a Super Bowl appearance.
The Jets came into the 1969 season as the defending Super Bowl champions. They had a sensational regular season, winning 10 of the 14 regular-season games to make the postseason again. Joe Namath had 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions with only 2,700 yards, which is poor for his career. But the Jets came into the playoffs having won nine of their final 11 and earned a home playoff game.
The Jets welcomed the Kansas City Chiefs to Shea Stadium for the Divisional Round. They lost 13-6 in what looks like one of the worst football games ever played. The Jets were losing 6-3 in the fourth quarter when they settled for a seven-yard field goal. Namath went 14-40 with 169 yards and three picks....
