This season felt different for the Jets for two veterans who had a combined 12 losing seasons in the NFL.
Neither Tyler Conklin nor Quinnen Williams imagined themselves at 3-10 with a playoff game on the horizon.
And it's hard to blame them.
They started with a healthy Aaron Rodgers, who played just over four snaps this year after tearing his Achilles tendon in the 2023 season opener.
Of course, they believed this time would be different for the future Hall of Famer.
The Jets also added eight-time Pro Bowl tackle Tyron Smith and star edge rusher Haason Reddick.
They ended the Zach Wilson era.
They re-signed reliable kicker Greg Zuerlein.
Robert Saleh is set to enter his fourth full year with the Jets and was expected to not only have a winning season, but also help build another one of the league's best defensive groups.
Although there seemed to be a chance for a turnaround, the season turned into a disaster.
The Jets have lost their last four games, most recently a 32-26 overtime loss to the Dolphins in Week 14, which officially eliminated them from playoff contention for the 14th straight season.
“If you don't win the football game every week, you're not going to make the playoffs. I think the main thing is the main thing. Just like you have to win a football game, this year we've got to win enough to win it.” We didn't get that,'' Williams told the Post after Friday's practice in preparation for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
“So it's going to be the same thing that we do every year, going back to square one and seeing what we did wrong. What we did wrong and especially what we can do right to help this organization next year.” We're thinking about how we can get to where we want to go, which is the playoffs and ultimately the Super Bowl.”
“I can't say it was,” Conklin told the Post about whether he envisioned the Jets being in first place in Week 15. The situation we are in now. But, you know, that's why you have to go out on Sunday and play a football game, and that's what it is. ”
The seventh-year tight end added that this year is “a little tougher than usual” because of the expectations the Jets place on themselves.
Perhaps more frustrating for the Jets is that there doesn't seem to be a single game or moment that helps them figure out what went wrong.
In fact, over time, there appears to be more than one factor contributing to their tying for the second-worst record in the NFL, along with the Panthers, Patriots, Browns and Titans — only ahead of the last-place Giants and Raiders.
The Jets have also lost five games this season by three or six points or less, making them the exact opposite team to the Chiefs (12-1). The Chiefs proved to be escape artists in late-game situations, winning seven games in the same conditions.
“We can't pinpoint exactly what went wrong,” Conklin said. “It wasn't a precise moment where something changed, it just felt like things weren't good right now. It's a culmination of things. We had a lot of close games this year that didn't go our way. … So those… Not being able to win that game definitely hurt us.”
“It’s just little things here and there,” Williams added. “Like a lot of times, the defense didn't come to play. The offense often didn't come to play. The special teams often didn't come to the game. To win a football game, you have to To progress to that level, every position, every unit has to play. And to reach the ultimate goal, every person in the organization and team has to play from the top down, week in and week out. There is.”
The final four games could be the last for Conklin, who is set to become a free agent, against struggling New York.
As for Williams, after signing a four-year, $96 million extension in July 2023, he has remaining contract until 2027, and will play a role in leading the team to turn around in his seventh year with the Jets.
