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My sixth most painful Jets heartbreak was my first. 1993 was the first year I started watching the Jets. It was a nice initiation. The season featured the Jets losing back to back weeks in games they led 21-0 and 17-0 against the Eagles and Raiders respectively.
It wasn't all bad, though. The Jets incredibly won two games in a three week span in which they scored a combined 9 points beating the Redskins 3-0 and the Patriots 6-0. This put them to 8-5 with three games left. They were blown out at home the next week by the defending Super Bowl Champion Cowboys. A trip to Orchard Park was in front of them to take on the three-time defending AFC Champion Bills, who were contending to make a fourth straight Super Bowl. A win would put the Jets into the Playoffs.
On a frigid day in Buffalo, the Jets battled valiantly against a more talented Bills team. They weren't getting the performance they needed out of kicker Cary Blanchard, however. By late in the fourth quarter, Blanchard had already sailed field goal tries of 27 and 41 yards wide left. The Jets trailed 16-14, but Boomer Esiason drove them 49 yards to the 25, giving Blanchard one last shot at redemption. The kick sailed wide left. A golden opportunity had gotten away from the Jets.
They remained alive heading into Week 18, the final Sunday of the NFL season, but they needed help. In typical Jets fashion, they got all of the help they needed in advance of their Sunday night finale in Houston, including 4-11 New England improbably beating Miami. In typical Jets fashion, they went out and got crushed by the Oilers 24-0 who were not playing starting quarterback Warren Moon. The game is probably best remembered for Houston defensive coordinator throwing a punch at offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride on the sideline. It should also be remembered as the deflating end of another Jets season.
I'm sure if GGN was around at that time people would be coming up with conspiracy theories about how the Jets ended their season playing three of the four teams that had first round byes in the Playoffs. At the time for me, however, it was an introduction to Jets misery.