Have the Jets ever felt like a real rival?

[colin]

in division means rival, and their d has always given josh fits.

 

i'm going to the game as a 9th birthday present to my son (he's coming too, lol).  we got some cheap seats.  I'm a little concerned about some of the ugliness that might occur, but i think it's gonna be a ton of fun.

 

let's go bills! 

[Another Fan]

2 hours ago, Mat68 said:

The breif time Ryan was the Head Coach and Fitz was the Jets Qb.  Thats the only time in history.  

The last game of 2015 truly might have been the weirdest game in Bills history.  Just being how much Fitz embraced being a Bills fan in his retired life 

[K-9]

They certainly feel like one this week.

[The Frankish Reich]

On 9/11/2025 at 5:48 AM, T.E. said:

Their fans are, by far, the worst of any team in the division, so there's that.

 

When you meet NYers/people from NJ, you can usually tell who they root for by their personality:

 

Classy, friendly = Giants fan

Obnoxious, douchebaggy = Jets fan

 

That stereotype almost never fails.

It goes back to the Long Island thing for the Jets, even though that ended decades ago.

On 9/11/2025 at 10:52 AM, chris heff said:

Is it just the Channel Islands you hate or is it all British Crown Dependency?

 

By the way most NFL fans in northern and central New Jersey are Giants fans, southern New Jersey are more Eagles fans. The Jets fan base, because of there days at Shea Stadium, are located in New York. More explicitly Queens and Long Island.

You beat me to it. Jets = Queens/Long Island. Giants = Manhattan, Westchester, Connecticut.

[folz]

I'll stick up for Jets fans a bit. I live in NYC (and have for many years). I go to the Jets/Bills game at the Meadowlands every year and I've never had any problems (win or lose), despite always being decked out in Bills gear and cheering loudly. I've also had many Jets fans as friends over the years, and until Josh came along, we basically just commiserated with each other over how bad our teams were. 

 

And yes, most of the Giants fanbase comes from northern New Jersey, Conn, and Upstate NY (north of the City up to say Albany/Syracuse...though I think the Bills have been encroaching on that NY territory over the last few years). Most Jets fans are from the City proper (Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn...maybe Staten Island, but who knows, that's like a different world) and Long Island. The Jets fans are die-hards for their team, they complain about the team all of the time (well deserved), but they never jump ship...you gotta appreciate that when they haven't had much to celebrate.

 

As to a rivalry, well, it seems that individual games can be difficult and physical because we are in the same division, fighting for the same crown, but there has been very little what you would consider rivalry types of games and situations over the years because the teams just haven't been good at the same time.

 

In 65 years, the Bills and Jets have only both had a winning record in four seasons total (1981, 1988, 1998, and 2004). Yes, in the 80s, there was maybe a bit of a rivalry (the early 80s teams---Chuck Knox vs. the Sack Exchange, or winning our first division title in so many years over the Jets later in the 80s, etc.). But, overall, there has never been many story lines between the teams to make them rivals (other than being division opponents).

 

I feel for Jets fans, we think we have been through some hard times...

In 65 years, the Jets have had only 20 winning seasons, they have only had 3 seasons in 65 years that they had more than 10 wins. They have made the playoffs 14 times. They won the AFL Championship game and Super Bowl in 1968. Since then (56 years), 4 AFC Championship game appearances (no wins).

 

In comparison, in 65 years, the Bills have had 29 winning seasons, with 12 years with more than 10 wins. The Bills have made the playoffs 24 times. 3 AFL Championship games (2 AFL Championship wins), 7 AFC Championship appearances (4 wins), 4 Super Bowl appearances (all losses).

 

They've had a lot less to cheer for than us over the years, despite the Bills having so many down years and eras themselves.

 

Overall head-to-head: Bills lead series 71-58 (55% of the wins to the Bills), but, since 2012, the Bills have won 17 of the last 25 games (68%).

[SF Bills Fan]

The Jets had one good year and won the Super Bowl riding the charisma of Namath. It happened in the early days of the modern NFL and legitimized the AFL so it’s a big deal. Other than that, they’ve been a mediocre disappointment for their fans. The Bills have had some great years but have also been mostly mediocre. Rarely outright terrible. So, for most of the history with the Jets it has been a clash of  unremarkable and mediocre teams. Forgettable games for the most part. Only the bettors cared. The early 80’s had some good games when we had Knox annd Fergie and we arrived as a force when we beat them to go to the playoffs in the late 80’s. They had a few good teams in the late 90s and beat us in some big games when Flutie was QB. I think they even went to the AFC Championship against Denver.
 

But, the rivalry with the Pats and Dolphins seems much bigger because they’ve been very successful at times so we thought it was a huge deal when we played them. For 17 years we’d get super excited for the Pats games and the Pats thought we were as scary as navel lint. Now the worm has turned. 
 

Funny thing is, the Jets might now be decent and the only team that’ll give us some trouble this year. They’ve always gotten good players and put together good rosters and had hired good coaches but it never works. They’ve never built a sustainable winning culture like the Steelers, Niners, Pats and now us. 
 

Having lived through the 70s  I’ll always think of Miami as the main rival. I’m still wired to hate them. These are great times and enjoy it because I think we’ll continue to pound them and the others to dust for many years to come. 
 
 

[nuklz2594]

I remember qb Richard Todd with full size shoulder pads.

TE Mickey Schuler was good.

Sack exchange was real. Wasn't a Gastineau fan.

Giving him the business penalty...

[folz]

15 hours ago, nuklz2594 said:

I remember qb Richard Todd with full size shoulder pads.

TE Mickey Schuler was good.

Sack exchange was real. Wasn't a Gastineau fan.

Giving him the business penalty...

 

I remember watching a Bills/Jets game when I was a kid and the announcer at some point mentioned how big Mark Gastineau's biceps were---can't remember the actual size, but I do remember one of my older male cousins (who was in his 20s at the time) say, oh my God, that's the size of my thighs. The guys basically had legs for arms...unreal.

[nuklz2594]

13 hours ago, folz said:

 

I remember watching a Bills/Jets game when I was a kid and the announcer at some point mentioned how big Mark Gastineau's biceps were---can't remember the actual size, but I do remember one of my older male cousins (who was in his 20s at the time) say, oh my God, that's the size of my thighs. The guys basically had legs for arms...unreal.

Thinking roids involved with gastineau. 

[folz]

6 hours ago, nuklz2594 said:

Thinking roids involved with gastineau. 

 

Yeah, you're probably right...back in that era.

[BRH]

On 9/11/2025 at 8:13 AM, strive_for_five_guy said:

I will say of all the other teams in our division, their fans are the most passionate and understand that their team sucks.  Pats fans are fake.  And Dolphin fans have an inferiority complex.

 

I’m not sure I’d call it that.  A inferiority complex is when your team is actually good but nobody gives them credit.  They’re consistently one of the most overrated teams every year, along with Dallas.  At some point they need to be treated by the national media as what they are:  a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in a QUARTER CENTURY. 

 

On a related note, I’m 56 and grew up in WNY, and I know quite a few people around my age who became Dolphins fans as kids because they were good, despite having a team in their own backyard.  I find their continued suffering to be especially delicious.

[strive_for_five_guy]

6 minutes ago, BRH said:

 

I’m not sure I’d call it that.  A inferiority complex is when your team is actually good but nobody gives them credit.  They’re consistently one of the most overrated teams every year, along with Dallas.  At some point they need to be treated by the national media as what they are:  a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in a QUARTER CENTURY. 

 

On a related note, I’m 56 and grew up in WNY, and I know quite a few people around my age who became Dolphins fans as kids because they were good, despite having a team in their own backyard.  I find their continued suffering to be especially delicious.

Maybe delusional is the term I was looking for.