Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are officially out of the playoffs.
The Jets were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday afternoon following their 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 and are too far out of the wild-card race to make the playoffs.
The Jets have now missed the playoffs for a 14th straight season. Their last playoff appearance was in 2010. Their playoff drought is the longest active streak in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL and MLB.
The Jets were nowhere near making the playoffs before Sunday’s game anyway. They have won just one game since a 24-3 victory over the Patriots in mid-September. They have since fired 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. This is something that has been rumored in recent weeks in the midst of his string of injuries, now that the playoffs are out of reach.
Rodgers and the Jets also came close to victory Sunday in South Florida. They took a 23-15 lead into the fourth quarter and took a three-point lead after Anders Carlson made a 42-yarder with 52 seconds left. The Dolphins, however, quickly drove down the field and connected on a 52-yard field goal from Jason Sanders to force overtime. Tua Tagovailoa then hit Jonnu Smith for a 10-yard touchdown in overtime to earn the victory.
The Dolphins are now 6-7 this season. They’ve won four of their last five games, but they need a little boost if they want to steal one of the last wild card spots in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills have already clinched the AFC East title and are battling the Kansas City Chiefs for first place and the conference bye. If the Dolphins make it, it will be their third straight playoff appearance under coach Mike McDaniel. They haven’t won a single playoff game since the 2000 season.
Elsewhere in the league on Sunday, the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns were also eliminated from the playoffs. The Jacksonville Jaguars scored 10 unanswered points to surprise the Titans with a 10-6 victory in Nashville. Both teams are just 3-10 this season and are out of playoff contention. The Pittsburgh Steelers also earned a 24-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are also 3-10 this 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 eliminated from the AFC playoffs. The New York Giants, who haven’t won a game in more than two months, are the only NFC team officially out of the playoff race.