Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are officially out of the playoff hunt.
The Jets were eliminated from postseason contention Sunday afternoon after a 32-26 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins. The loss, their fourth in a row, dropped the Jets to 3-10 on the season. They are now tied for last in the AFC East standings.
The Jets missed the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season. Their last postseason appearance came in the 2010 season. Their postseason drought is the longest active streak across the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL and MLB.
The Jets were a long shot to make the playoffs going into Sunday’s game. They have won just once since a 24-3 victory over the Patriots in mid-September. Since then, they have fired both head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. It’s unclear if the Jets will shut down Rodgers for the rest of the season, something that has been rumored amid his string of injuries in recent weeks, now that the playoffs are out of reach.
Rodgers and the Jets nearly pulled off a win in South Florida on Sunday. They took a 23-15 lead into the fourth quarter and took a three-point lead after Anders Karlsson drilled a 42-yarder with 52 seconds left on the clock. The Dolphins, however, quickly marched down the field and set up a 52-yarder from Jason Sanders to force overtime. Tua Tagovailoa then hit Johnnu Smith for a 10-yard touchdown in overtime for the win.
The Dolphins are 6-7 on the season. They have won four of their last five. They’ll need a push if they’re going to steal one of the AFC’s last wild-card spots. The Buffalo Bills have already clinched the AFC East title and are battling the Kansas City Chiefs for the top seed and a bye in the conference. If the Dolphins can pull it off, it will mark their third straight postseason appearance under head coach Mike McDaniel. They haven’t won a playoff game since the 2000 season.
Elsewhere in the league on Sunday, the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns were both eliminated from the playoffs. The Jacksonville Jaguars rattled off 10 unanswered points to stun the Titans with a 10-6 win in Nashville. Both teams are just 3-10 on the season and out of postseason contention.
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 27-14. The Browns are also sitting on a 3-10 season, and will miss the playoffs for the third time in five seasons under head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The Las Vegas Raiders are also already out of the playoffs in the AFC. The New York Giants, who haven’t won a game in more than two months, are the only team in the NFC officially out of the playoff race.
