NY Jets are looking eerily similar to iconic team that started 0-2

The New York Jets aren’t new to 0-2 starts. Since the franchise’s 14-year playoff drought began, this marks the fifth time Gang Green has lost its first two games. In each of the previous four instances, the team finished below .500.

While the odds are never great for a team that drops the first two contests, it isn’t impossible to come back and still have a great year. The 2022 Cincinnati Bengals started the year 0-2 and went all the way to the conference championship.

Last season, three teams (the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, and Denver Broncos) started 0-2 and still reached the postseason.

Few players on the Jets’ roster have been part of such a turnaround. But their head coach has actually been a part of that experience multiple times.

His experience as a player in New York could be valuable in helping the current team stay afloat despite its poor start.

Jets’ iconic 0-2 rebound

The 1998 New York Jets began the season 0-2. They shrugged off the difficult start by winning 12 of their final 14 games and reaching the AFC championship game. Today, they are known as one of the greatest teams in franchise history.

A loss out west to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos was the last blemish on a special season.

There are many similarities between the current Jets team and the one former head coach Bill Parcells took to the conference title game.

First, the 1998 team’s first two losses to begin the year came in a close, high-scoring defeat in Week 1 (a 36-30 overtime loss at the San Francisco 49ers) and a multi-score home defeat in Week 2 (24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens).

The 2025 team lost in a close 34-32 shootout to the Pittsburgh Steelers before losing in a 30-10 beatdown to the Buffalo Bills.

But wait: There’s more.

New York started Glenn Foley to begin the 1998 season. He came through with a dominant performance in Week 1 before struggling mightily in Week 2. In Week 3, Foley was replaced by an aging Vinny Testaverde, who won 12 of his 13 starts the rest of the way.

The 2025 team saw Justin Fields in control of the team entering the season. Fields had a standout opener but flopped in Week 2, and he is now in concussion protocol. His backup? An aging Tyrod Taylor.

When Testaverde took the Jets to the playoffs, he was 35 years old.

Taylor’s current age? 36.

Add in the fact that Glenn was a starting cornerback on the team in 1998 and is now leading the organization as head coach, and it’s almost eerie how similar everything seems to be for the Jets going into Week 3.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pose a much greater threat this week than what the 1998 organization saw. Parcells’ team rebounded with a 44-6 home win over the Indianapolis Colts, who finished 3-13 with a rookie Peyton Manning. This year’s Jets will have to go on the road to face a 2-0 Tampa Bay team in its home opener.

If Glenn can find a way to pull off an upset, though, it may change the course of the season.

An 0-2 start isn’t great for any team. For the Jets, that kind of start normally sinks the rest of the year.

But as the comparisons to the 1998 squad grow, it might just be enough for the organization to build some momentum.