When the 2026 NFL campaign concludes, the New York Jets will have gone more than 56 years without winning a Super Bowl. They have not won or competed in a playoff game since 2011 and have put together six straight seasons with 10 or more losses. Simply put, the Gang Green are one of the most futile franchises in all of sports. But it was not that long ago that people were making the same claim about the New York Knicks.

Like Woody Johnson, James Dolan inspired vitriol throughout The Big Apple, as the longtime owner constantly invited bad optics into Madison Square Garden with his short-sighted decision-making and petty feuds. Beginning in 2001 and ending in the 2011-12 campaign, the Knickerbockers won just one playoff game and posted nine losing seasons. During this span, their season-high win total was a mere 42. The pain did not stop there, however.

Following a brief revival in 2012, New York returned to their usual place in the abyss and endured a seven-year stretch of abject failure that was marked by no postseason trips and five seasons with 50 or more losses (hit 65 twice). Knicks fans of all ages had little reason to believe that they would witness a championship. Fast forward to October 20, 2026, and the city is watching the team collect its rings and raise the banner.

New York's 2025-26 sprint to the Larry O'Brien Trophy was thrilling for multiple reasons — OG Anunoby's heart-stopping tip-in versus the San Antonio Spurs, multiple second-half comebacks and the “undersized” Jalen Brunson earning NBA Finals MVP honors — but it runs deeper than just the individuals who led the charge. This group serves as an emblem of hope for the hopeless.

Article Continues Below

The Jets and their impressively loyal fans, many of which also suffered through the dark ages with the Knicks, should find inspiration in MSG. The Gang Green showed respect to the champs before Tuesday's season-opening battle versus the Philadelphia 76ers.

“Time to run it back,” the Jets' official X account posted, while also including the words, “Good Luck.”