Why the New York Jets Will Be the Worst NFL Team of the Upcoming Decade

The NFL is full of teams that seem to be cursed, and the New York Jets are only one of them.

The Jets, ranked No. 8 on the list of cursed franchises, appear ready to experience some more bad luck during the 2010s.

The Jets of this past year have some very similar comparisons to the Detroit Lions of 10 years ago, the team that underachieved and paved the way to where the Lions are at right now.

 

Similarities

- The Lions drafted Charlie Batch in the second round in 1998 as their new franchise quarterback to succeed the aging Scott Mitchell. The Jets drafted Mark Sanchez in 2009 to replace Brett Favre, who had "retired" before joining the Vikings.

- The Lions had an aging receiver in Herman Moore and two young, up-and-coming, and often underrated receivers in Germane Crowell and Johnnie Morton, both of whom achieved 1,000-yard receiving seasons. The Jets match that with their aging receiver Braylon Edwards paired with Jerricho Cotchery and Santonio Holmes.

- The Lions had a run-based offense before Barry Sanders retired in 1999, and then they struggled some on the ground after that. The Jets had a run-based offense in 2009 as well, and they released Thomas Jones this offseason.

- The Lions had one of the top five defenses in the NFL in 2000 and were able to win four of their nine victories without scoring an offensive touchdown. The Jets had the top-ranked defense in 2009.

- The Lions started out 8-4 in 1999 but lost their last four games and finished 8-8. Despite this, they still managed a wild-card spot, where they lost to the Washington Redskins. The Jets started 4-6 but were able to win five out of their last six games, including two against teams that were resting their starters, and they grabbed a wild-card spot as well.

Both of these teams are considered among the worst playoff teams in NFL history, although the Jets probably shed this label when they went to the AFC Championship game.

- Finally, the most convincing similarity is the record of these two teams the decade before. During the '90s, the Lions were actually a pretty decent team, as they went 79-81 throughout the decade and even appeared in an NFC Championship Game. The Jets were the only team during the 2000s to finish with a record at exactly .500, posting an 80-80 record.

- The Lions also made the playoffs six times during the '90s, and the Jets made it five times. However, neither team went further than their conference championship games.