NFL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jets and Giants on Pace to Produce the Worst Season in New York Football History

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Craig Ellenport | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 3:41 PM ET

Even with the New York Giants pulling off a big upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night, the New York Jets reminded us Sunday morning that the state of pro football in the tristate area is nothing short of abysmal.

The Jets and Giants are a combined 2-10 this season. Giants fans are at least excited about the emergence of rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. The Jets, meanwhile, put in a nice defensive effort but fell short against the Denver Broncos in London to fall to 0-6 in Aaron Glenn’s first season as head coach.

If Glenn knew his team would hold the Broncos to 13 points, he might have thought the Jets would get him his first victory. Unfortunately for Glenn and the Jets, the offense was atrocious. Quarterback Justin Fields was sacked nine times and the Jets managed just 82 net yards. Some very questionable strategy at the end of the first half didn’t help.

It’s safe to say Jets fans are studying the top quarterback prospects in college football and thinking about who they might get with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. In his most recent mock draft, Athlon Sports draft expert Luke Easterling has the Jets taking Oregon quarterback Dante Moore with the No. 1 pick.

The Giants, of course, already seem to have their new franchise quarterback in place. Dart, who the Giants traded up for in the first round of the 2025 draft, took over the starting job in Week 4 and has clearly energized his team.

Still, the Giants have the toughest schedule in the NFL this season — only one of their 11 remaining opponents currently has a losing record. As it stands, there is a decent chance 2025 could produce the worst season in New York football history. And considering the ugly recent history of these two franchises, that’s saying a lot.

In the last 10 years, the Jets and Giants have the two worst records in the NFL.

Since 2016, seven NFL teams have a combined winning percentage of less than .400:


Team	Record	Pct.
Arizona Cardinals	60-92-2	.395
Chicago Bears	59-95-0	.383
Cleveland Browns	56-99-1	.361
Jacksonville Jaguars	57-101	.361
Carolina Panthers	55-99-0	.357
New York Giants	54-102-1	.346
New York Jets	46-108-0	.299

These teams have coexisted since 1960, when the Jets — née Titans — played in the AFL. Amazingly, it wasn’t until 1981 that we saw a season in which both teams had a winning record. That occurrence remains a rarity: The last time the Jets and Giants both had a winning record was in 2010. Overall, in 65 years, there have only been nine seasons when the Jets and Giants were both over .500.

In fact, it’s been more common that these teams have combined for eight or fewer wins in a season — that has happened 10 times. The most recent season was 2021, when both teams finished 4-13.

As for the worst season in New York football history, you have to go back to 1976, when both teams finished 3-11. The 1976 season was Joe Namath’s last as Jets quarterback — he had four touchdown passes and 16 interceptions — and it was Lou Holtz’s lone season as Jets head coach. The ’76 season also marked the first time either of these teams called New Jersey home — Giants Stadium opened at the Meadowlands. With quarterback Craig Morton leading a lifeless offense, the Giants started the season 0-7. That’s when head coach Bill Arnsparger was fired and replaced by John McVay.

With 22 combined games still to be played this season, the Jets and Giants must win four more games to avoid the worst season in New York football history. If they were to go 4-18 the rest of the way, that would actually require a slightly better winning percentage than their current combined clip of .167.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: