The Dolphins Playoff Failure
If I am going to mock the Jets for a negative playoff streak, I may as well mock their division rival too.
Patriots fans hate the accusation that part of the reason for their 2-decades long dynasty was a weak division gifting them easy wins every year, but lets admire some fun facts: The Jets haven’t been in a playoff game since 2010. The Bills held the longest streak in the NFL before they did, not reaching the playoffs for 17 years (2000-2017), pretty much the entire dynasty’s length. And the Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since December 2000.
Just some perspective on that last one. Lebron was still in high school. The twin towers were still standing. Tom Brady still had his original face. The Cowboys were only 5 years removed from their last NFCCG appearance. The Dolphins’ playoff loser streak can legally rent a car. The Dolphins’ streak is old enough that Leonardo DiCaprio won’t date it.
I’m genuinely torn on which streak is worse, the Jets or Dolphins. Making the playoffs is definitely not all that difficult. Usually a weaker/mid team or two sneaks in at wildcard every year. You have one average season against a weak schedule and you can fraud your way in, like the 2016 NY Giants did before they got on a boat and got plastered in Green Bay. The next longest drought behind the Jets is the Falcons, who are only at 8 seasons, almost half the Jets’ streak. The Falcons also feel pretty close to sneaking in very soon. The Jets missing out every year since reaching the AFCCG in 2010 is remarkable. Honestly though, I think they got a bit screwed in 2015, the Jets won 10 games but got held out on tiebreakers with the 10-win Steelers. If that season happens now, they are the 7th seed. Of course the Jets would still own the current streak had they made it in 2015, as they haven’t sniffed .500 since. But 10 years isn’t as embarassing as 15.
There is also the looming threat of an 18th game and 8th seed, which would increase the Jets chances of ending the streak reasonably soon even if they aren’t great. I can see the Jets ending the drought sooner than the Dolphins ending theirs.
So what about Miami? Well they beat the young Manning-led Colts in the 2000 Wildcard round, and have lost every attempt since. Here’s the real ball-buster: they’ve only had 5 tries in 25 years. ’01, ’08 (the Wildcat year), ’16, ’22’ and ’23. The only year they put up a fight was 2022 against Buffalo. 2023 was the infamous freezing game against KC. 25 years is a long time. The only thing the Dolphins can really be proud of during that quarter-century span was the amusing Wildcat season where they stole the division from the Matt Cassell Pats and the Miami Miracle.
Winning a playoff game is harder than making the playoffs. It’s possible to fraud your way in, but it’s much harder to fraud your way up, like the 2022 Giants did. So these streaks lasting longer is somewhat more acceptable. It notoriously took Cincy 31 years to end its historical win drought. On top of that, the Raiders are right behind them at 23 seasons. At least the Raiders have managed to witness a playoff win post-9/11. The Jets sit at a distant third, with 15. The last Jets playoff team was the Sanchez/Rex team that made the AFCCG twice, so at least the Jets got to witness good football before the hard drop off.
So what are your thoughts? Which AFCE playoff drought is more embarassing? Neither team looks to be in a position to end that streak next year, either.
It’s definitely frustrating seeing the Patriots consistently dominate that division. I think the focus on the Jets’ struggles is often a distraction from how much they’ve been consistently outmatched.
Damn; I miss Marino bro shaved. Also, as a 21st century Fins fan who has never seen his team win a playoff game (I became a fins fan in 2006 when they signed Culpepper), I think the Jets is worse. We can at least go 10-6 twice per decade before getting blasted in the wild-card round.
I think winning a weak division isn’t great but if you win a playoff game or two it’s legit so who cares?
These things can turn around surprisingly quick however. (Withe AFCE having all examples of all of them)
The worst part is even when the Fins were regularly winning playoff games Marino and the crew were getting eliminated by Kelly and Elway and one hit wonders.
Wish Marino got that rematch against the 85 Bears in the SB. Could have been an actual contest.
As a Falcon’s fan this is a frustration I have had. By our total record over the last 8 years, we are the 21st ranked team. You would think we could have snuck in one of those years but nope… The amount of mediocrity to maintain a middle of the league win percentage over 8 seasons is impressive. You can’t have a truly terrible year, or it drags the average back down and you can’t bring it back up without winning. 7-9, 7-9, 4-12, 7-10, 7-10, 7-10, 8-9, 8-9 (Hence my name). Playoff droughts are infuriating as a fan, in general, but I am sick of being edged. Either make it or suck, quit giving me hope. The last worst part is how bad the division has been, the last 4 years we have either tied or entered the last game with a chance to tie for the division win.
I think the jets is slightly more embarrassing not because missing the playoffs is significantly worse but because at least the dolphins have the raiders practically tied with them. The jets are double their second place team
I love this division
One day Dan Marino uses monkey’s paw to wish that he would have a career where he wasn’t drafted by the Dolphins.
He gets drafted by the Jets and became a bust.
To this day Ken O’Brien is talked about as among the greatest QBs without a Superb Owl.
I think Gangrene has it worse BY FAR. And it has nothing to do with whether or not it’s worse to make the playoffs and lose or just never make the playoffs (the latter is clearly worse, IMO). The Jets are in a WAY more competitive location. Miami generally flies under the radar. Miami has nice beaches, old people, people in string-based swimsuits… they don’t have worries other than hurricane season and “a florida man”.
Gangrene runs in the Tristate Area, which has some serious expectations, and they just happen to cohabitate with an organization that’s had far more success in the far more recent past (understandably ‘far more recent’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, but hey, the Giants have a trophy in the last 15ish years, and the Jets got nada).
They are the poster boys for perennial failure in the NFL, their owner is a moron AND an a@#%ole, while the Miami Dolphins are mostly known for a bunch of old jerks who get drunk and stumble out of their nursing homes when their precious perfect record gets upheld for one more year.
For me, the supreme loser award is just one more smear of fecal matter on the Jets’ unis.
I’ve thought about this for a while. While a playoff win drought is better than a playoff appearance drought, 25+ years is wayyy worse than 15 years. In fact, I’ll go one step further and say that a 15 year playoff drought doesn’t even deserve ridicule. It’s bad, but plenty of teams have had it happen to them including the Steelers and Packers. I say, once you cross the two decade mark for a playoff drought, only then do you deserve true ridicule.
That said, the Jets still deserve ridicule for being the Jets
The Lions somehow dodging a conversation about historically futile playoff streaks. That’s how you know Dan Campbell has changed the culture
Wonder which happens first: the Dolphins win a playoff game, or the city of Miami sinks below the waves
After that last playoff win, the Dolphins were blown out by Oakland 27-0.
The year before rhey also won a playoff game, Marino’s last, over the Seahawks. They followed that by losing to the Jaguars 62-7.
So the last two times Miami won a playoff game they lost by a combined 89-7. Maybe they are a big gunshy of winning another.