FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Maybe the 16th time will be the charm. If not, the New York Jets might have to live with The Streak in perpetuity.
The Jets have lost 15 straight games to the New England Patriots -- the NFL's longest active head-to-head streak -- and Sunday could be their last chance to defeat the man who once was supposed to be their coach. If it turns out to be Bill Belichick's final game with the Patriots, the Jets would love to give him a going-away loss.
"It's definitely motivating," defensive end Bryce Huff told ESPN. "Knowing that I've never gotten a chance to beat the Patriots, and how they won against us every single year, is kind of annoying to think about. I definitely want to end this season on a good note and to get a W, especially on them."
No one on the Jets' roster has experienced a win over Belichick's Patriots -- at least not in a Jets' uniform. The last victory was Dec. 27, 2015, when Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Eric Decker with a touchdown pass in overtime. By the time they take the field on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, it'll be 2,933 days since that long-ago moment.
"The goal is breaking the losing streak, honestly," linebacker Quincy Williams said.
The Jets (6-10) haven't made it a rallying cry, but "it's in the back of everyone's minds, for sure," Williams said. Let's face it: At this point, nothing can alter the narrative for the season, a major disappointment, but a win over Belichick, 71, would be akin to discarding a sizable piece of baggage.
Coach Robert Saleh, 0-5 in the series, wanted no part of the "streak" talk. He sidestepped a question on what it would be like to beat Belichick, whose future in New England appears uncertain amid a 4-12 season.
"Every game is independent," Saleh said. "You're just going out there trying to win a football game. That's about it."
One of Saleh's predecessors, Rex Ryan, took the opposite approach, famously proclaiming he wasn't intimidated by Belichick. "I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick's rings," he said in 2009. Ryan had some success (4-9, including a playoff win), but his successor, Todd Bowles, went 1-7. Then came Saleh, who has lost the last three by a combined total of 17 points.
This week is the 24th anniversary of Belichick's infamous departure from the Jets -- Jan. 4, 2000. On the day as he was to be introduced as Bill Parcells' successor, Belichick stunned the sports world by announcing his resignation on the spot. It happened so fast that he scribbled his intentions on a piece of loose-leaf paper, saying he was resigning as the "HC of the NYJ."
That was a few months before wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, two of the Jets' best current players, were even born. Belichick went to the Patriots and, with help from Tom Brady, turned them into six-time Super Bowl champions.
"He's transcended the sport, just in terms of how they prepare, their in-game management, their communication, everything they do," Saleh said. "They've been a model of consistency. They have produced a lot of really good football players, obviously, and they've had a lot of championships. The guy has won over 300 games. You have to stick around for a while to do that. He's a special, special football coach."
Belichick's career record against the Jets is 39-12 (including playoffs), the most wins by any coach against a single team in the Super Bowl era. That includes a 1-1 mark as Cleveland Browns coach from 1991-1995.
In recent years, the Patriots have won blowouts (54-13 in 2021) and they've won close ones, none closer than 10-3 in 2022 on a punt-return touchdown in the final seconds. "That was sickening," Huff recalled.
Now the Jets get another chance -- maybe their last chance -- to end the Belichick torment.