The New York/New Jersey area offers many attractions, everything from Broadway to the Jersey Shore to famous landmarks on both sides of the Hudson River. Suffice it to say the chamber of commerce “hot” list doesn’t include the local football teams, not this year anyway.
The New York Giants and New York Jets have endured some pretty bad seasons, but this one is uniquely dreadful. Based on combined winning percentage, it’s the worst season for the New York City area since the Jets (first known as the Titans) joined the Giants on the local scene in 1960.
The Giants are 2-11. The Jets are 3-10. Do the math: That’s a .192 winning percentage.
There have been many clunkers over the years, most notably: In 1976, Joe Namath’s final season with the Jets, both teams finished 3-11 (.214). The 1996 season was another rough one, as the Giants went 6-10 and the Jets bottomed out at 1-15 (combined .219).
We could go on and on, but you get the point. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Only three years ago, both teams stumbled to 4-13 (.235), prompting Joe Judge’s ouster from the Giants — their third head coach firing in a four-year span.
The last time the Giants and Jets both posted winning records was in 2010, when the coaches were Tom Coughlin and Rex Ryan, respectively. There will be no winning records this season in the New York metropolitan area, but maybe they can avoid the indignity of “worst New York season ever” by coming up with three more wins between them.
What in the name of Sam Darnold is going on with these teams? ESPN NFL Nation reporters Jordan Raanan (Giants) and Rich Cimini (Jets) take a closer look:
Where does this season rank among the biggest disappointments in franchise history?
Jets: The Jets’ history is pocked with disappointment, but this season is the biggest bust of them all. They got what they wanted — a healthy Aaron Rodgers — and yet they probably will win fewer games than they did last season (7-10) with Zach Wilson.
This season began with Super Bowl dreams and now they’re looking at a possible last-place finish. Unlike 2023, which had a quick demise (see: Rodgers’ season-ending injury in Week 1), this has been pure agony for the fan base.
It has been long, slow and painful, with weekly reminders of dysfunction and a flawed roster. The Rodgers gambit will be remembered as perhaps the worst move in franchise history. — Cimini
Giants: It might not be the biggest disappointment in Giants history because they didn’t come in with great expectations like the Jets. The Giants over/under entering the season was 6.5 games. But while it’s not the biggest disappointment, it still has a chance to be the worst season in franchise history.
Think owner John Mara & Co. wanted to celebrate their 100th season with a 2-15 campaign that could include being the first team ever to go 0-9 at home? As rookie Malik Nabers said on Sunday of the constant mistakes, “that is just the New York Giants this year.” — Raanan
What happened at quarterback?
Jets: Father Time is a sinister dude, and he appears to be messing with Rodgers, 41, who looks nothing like the quarterback who won four MVPs with the Green Bay Packers.
His arm strength is still there, but his legendary accuracy and improvisational ability looks diminished. Maybe his surgically repaired left Achilles is a factor. Midseason leg injuries surely affected him.
His supporting cast isn’t helping, either. Too many penalties, too many dropped passes. In a way, Rodgers is a victim of his own presence. The coaching staff is so concerned with pleasing the future Hall of Famer that it has tailored everything around him, allowing other areas of the offense (i.e. the running game) to slip. Example: The Jets have passed on 72% of their red zone plays, by far the most lopsided approach in the league. — Cimini
Giants: Let’s see.
The Giants made public their desire to replace Daniel Jones in the draft during their appearance on “Hard Knocks.” Then Jones, coming off a torn right ACL, looked like a shell of his former self. It was apparent his relationship with coach Brian Daboll (who once tossed a tablet in his direction out of frustration) had eroded.
Jones’ struggles eventually led to him being benched and later cut at his request after he stepped in as a scout-team safety at practice.
Then the Giants turned to Tommy DeVito for a “spark” that never ignited, he got hurt, they went to Drew Lock and stuck with him even when DeVito was healthy.
Any of that seem logical? — Raanan
What’s the common thread to the sustained losing?
Jets: From a macro perspective, the common denominator is owner Woody Johnson.
Since Johnson purchased the team in 2000, the Jets went from a Super Bowl contender (2009 and 2010) to an annual laughingstock.
The playoff drought is 14 years, the NFL’s longest active streak. But the football reason for the losing is the perennially moribund offense. Since 2011, they’re averaging a league-low 17.5 points.
There has been no continuity (10 different playcallers over that span) and no consistency at quarterback. They’ve tried the draft and they’ve gone the rent-a-legend route; nothing seems to work. That Sam Darnold and Geno Smith found success elsewhere only underscores the failures. — Cimini
Giants: Ownership is too easy. I’ll leave that one for Rich and the Jets.
For the Giants, it’s their inability to fix the offensive line. It’s almost amazing to consider they haven’t been able to get it right by accident at some point over the past 13 seasons. It has been multiple regimes and high draft picks that have flopped.
Even after this current brain trust invested in three veterans offensive linemen (RT Jermaine Eluemunor, RG Greg Van Roten and LG Jon Runyan) in free agency the Giants are 23rd this season in pass block win rate at 57.6%. They’re 30th in the NFL in pass block win rate at 52% since ESPN started tracking the stat in 2016. It’s hard to function offensively that way, which probably accounts for them being 29th in points per game (20) since 2012. — Raanan
What has been the low point of the season thus far?
Jets: Here’s the precise moment: 10:03 a.m., Oct. 8. That’s when Johnson walked into Robert Saleh’s office and fired him, the first time in 25 years of ownership that he dismissed a coach during the season.
They were 2-3 at the time, getting ready to play the Buffalo Bills for first place. The locker room was stunned and has not recovered.
After that, there were a series of low points, most notably the crushing 25-22 loss to the woeful New England Patriots on Oct. 27. Ulbrich called that loss “a moment of darkness,” but the moment has lasted more than two months.
The Jets have lost a franchise-record five games in which they led in the fourth quarter. Each one was a low point. — Cimini
Giants: So many to choose from. Maybe it’s recency bias but, in the end, this season will probably be remembered for the plane flying over MetLife Stadium imploring ownership to “fix this dumpster fire.”
A plane with this message for Giants ownership is flying over the stadium hours before they play the Saints: “Mr. Mara Enough – Plz Fix this Dumpster Fire.” pic.twitter.com/7DOUsGof1z
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) December 8, 2024
That is likely to live in infamy in much the same way that it did when a plane flew over the stadium in 1978 saying 15 years of losing “we’ve had enough.”
But … believe it or not, it could get worse. Having the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley set the single-season rushing record against his former team in Week 18 could bring them to an even lower low. — Raanan
What’s the reason for optimism?
Jets: There will be a new coach, a new general manager and a new vision for the future.
They have the resources to replenish the roster, starting with eight draft picks. Chances are, they will have two picks in the top 40. That should help.
The cap situation is promising. They have only $34 million in projected cap space, but that’s misleading because they can clear at least $40 million with a couple of cuts. Releasing receiver Davante Adams alone will save $30 million.
Their “Core Four” — Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson — will be entering their fourth season. The cupboard isn’t bare for the next regime, but there’s a lot of work to be done. — Cimini
Giants: The Giants are destined for a top draft pick, which would put them in prime position to restock the quarterback position with a promising young player (hello, Shedeur Sanders?).
They’re also in fine shape financially, expected to be $57 million under the salary cap, according to the Roster Management System. That is the ninth most this offseason. They have some key pieces in place considering the 2024 draft class looks as if it could be their best in years.
Sanders throwing to Nabers, two quality edge rushers, a dominant interior defensive lineman and a standout left tackle (if Andrew Thomas is healthy) can at least allow fans to dream. — Raanan
Quote that summarizes the season
Jets: “Salvageable? We’re gonna kick … you can add the words after that. We’re going to do really well.” — Woody Johnson on whether the season was salvageable at 2-4, one week after firing Saleh.
Giants: “Extremely [angry]. We played soft, and they beat the s— out of us.” — Dexter Lawrence II after a 30-7 loss at home off their bye week to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
