The Jets last played in a postseason game on Jan. 23, 2011, when they lost their second straight AFC Championship Game, this one in Pittsburgh, to fall just short of the Super Bowl.
Afterward, then-head coach Rex Ryan was asked whether he would change anything about the season and responded: “I would change the outcome of this game, and that’s the only thing I would change. We don’t need to apologize to anybody. We’ll be back, you’ll see.”
Who knew how wrong Ryan would be?
Not only have the Jets not been back to the AFC title game, they haven’t even reached the postseason — and they won’t again this season, having officially been eliminated on Sunday.
That means the Jets — at 13 seasons in a row — are now alone atop the leaderboard for longest playoff drought among teams in the Big 4 leagues.
The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres are at 12 and are on pace to keep up with the Jets’ ineptitude, but that’s small solace.
The Jets took the unwanted crown from the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, who made the postseason last year for the first time since 2006.
It’s a streak that started under Ryan, who coached four more seasons with the Jets and never finished above .500 again.
In fact, the Jets have finished over .500 just once during that stretch, when they went 10-6 in 2015 in Todd Bowles’ first season and still missed out on the playoffs.
Bowles’ four-season tenure went downhill after that before Adam Gase’s two-year disaster.
Now Robert Saleh is in his third season running the Jets, and there’s little reason for optimism.
That could be seen clearly on Aaron Rodgers’ face when he closed his eyes and shook his head in disgust during Sunday’s lopsided loss at Miami.
It’s obvious that even if Rodgers returns and is healthy next season, the Jets still would have considerable issues to fix.
After Sunday’s shutout loss, they have the second-worst quarterback rating — better only than the (9-5!) Browns — and the fewest touchdown passes (nine) in the league.
On the ground, the Jets have the third-fewest rushing yards, and no team has scored fewer rushing TDs (four).
And while their defense has allowed the third-fewest passing yards in the NFL, just five teams have given up more rushing yards.
So how does it all get fixed?
Obviously, the most important part is making sure Rodgers is back and then hoping he stays in one piece.
But as this season’s NFL-wide quarterback attrition has demonstrated, they also need a serviceable backup quarterback to replace the ineffective (and now concussed) Zach Wilson.
The Bengals and Browns have remained in the AFC playoff hunt despite Jake Browning and Joe Flacco (eventually) stepping in, respectively, following season-ending injuries to Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson.
A coaching change also can work, as evidenced by the quick turnarounds in Houston and Indianapolis.
Sure, new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has been helped by C.J. Stroud, the rookie quarterback selected second overall, but the team also won Sunday with third-string Case Keenum under center.
And in Indianapolis, Shane Steichen has steered the Colts back to relevance, even without injured rookie Anthony Richardson, with Gardner Minshew having a career rebirth.
Not so Big Blue
Thanks in part to Sunday’s lopsided loss to the Saints, the Giants have the worst point differential in the NFL at minus-149. Somehow, even at 5-9, they’ve been less competitive in that area than the 2-12 Panthers, who are at minus-142.
Seven of the Giants’ nine losses have been by 15 points or more. And of their five wins, all but one has been by seven points or fewer.
While the Giants haven’t officially been knocked out of the NFC playoff picture, it’s inevitable that they will be, which will mark the sixth time in seven seasons that they will be sitting at home for the postseason.
Like the Jets, many of the Giants’ issues stem from poor quarterback and offensive-line play. They have the fewest passing yards in the league.
And like the Jets, the Giants can turn for inspiration to the Colts, who had the NFL’s worst point differential last season as they went 4-12-1.
Now, the Colts are locked in a three-way tie with the Jaguars and Texans for first place in the AFC South at 8-6.
And the Giants also know first-hand how fast things can change. Just last year, they surprised the NFL by getting into the playoffs and winning a game.
Today’s back page
The scoreboard: End of the road edition
Knicks 114, Lakers 109: The Knicks (15-11) moved up to fifth place in the East as they finished 2-2 on the Western portion of their five-game road trip, which concludes Wednesday night in Brooklyn.
An inspired Julius Randle led the way against the Lakers with 27 points and 14 rebounds in 43 minutes. Jalen Brunson scored 29 from his southpaw stance, and Immanuel Quickley chipped in 20. Shout out to Isaiah Hartenstein for 17 rebounds (seven offensive) in 38-plus minutes. LeBron James (25-point triple-double) and Anthony Davis (32 and 14) went off, but the Knicks held the Lakers to 42.4 percent shooting.
Jazz 125, Nets 108: The Nets (13-13, 9th in the East) wrapped up their own lengthy road trip (1-4) on a down note against the Jazz, who owned a massive advantage on the boards and took over in the fourth quarter. Cam Thomas led the Nets with 32 points including five 3s, and Spencer Dinwiddie flirted with a triple-double (17 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds). Cam Johnson was checked for a concussion after getting elbowed in the face, but returned to the game.
If I were a Carpenter
As the Yankees and Mets — as well as a handful of other teams — wait on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s free-agent decision, another MLB transaction occurred that caught our attention.
The Braves released Matt Carpenter after trading for the lefty swinger last week in what was a salary dump by the Padres.
Less than two years ago, Carpenter came to the Yankees and appeared on the verge of becoming a piece of their history.
He arrived to the Yankees with little fanfare in May 2022 with the team dealing with injury and COVID absences, but quickly revived his career and provided a much-needed jolt to the lineup.
He had spent the first part of the season with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate following back-to-back subpar seasons with the Cardinals.
Carpenter hit 15 homers in his first 40 games as a Yankee, but fractured his foot with a foul ball in August and missed the rest of the regular season.
The Yankees’ offense suffered and Carpenter rushed back to appear in the playoffs, but couldn’t find his swing again.
He turned his Bronx success into a two-year, $12 million deal with the Padres, but another rough season followed in 2023. If the 38-year-old wants to revive his career once more, it will again have to be off the scrap heap.
What we’re reading 👀
🏈 It’s increasingly awkward hearing Saquon Barkley discuss a Giants future he might not be a part of, writes The Post’s Paul Schwartz.
🏒 Blake Wheeler is finding his footing on the Rangers’ top line.
⚾ The Mets added more bullpen depth in former White Sox right-hander Yohan Ramirez.
⚽ Gotham FC are in “advanced discussions” on a major NWSL free-agency splash for USWNT star Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett.
🏀 The 2024 WNBA schedule is out, featuring 40 games and a roughly month-long mid-season break that encompasses the Olympics. Wanna circle the dates for Liberty-Aces? That’s June 15, Aug. 17 (in Vegas) and Sept. 8 (in Brooklyn).
🏈 Drew Lock’s Seahawks sent the Eagles plummeting to their third straight loss.
🏀 The Pistons lost their 24th straight game. At least this one was close.
🏀 The NBA is making Draymond Green go to therapy.
🏀 Eric Montross, former UNC star and NBA center, has died at 52 after a battle with cancer.
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