Even the losers get lucky sometimes ... against Gang

The Jets have to beat the Browns, right? They couldn’t lose to an 0-7 Cleveland team that looks destined for no better than a one-win season, right?

Well, a l ook back at Jets history shows there is reason to think this is no sure thing. Four times the Jets have been a team’s only win. The 1968 Bills, 1972 Oilers, 1980 Saints and 1991 Colts all won one game — against the Jets.

That history likely means nothing, but it is a dubious distinction for Gang Green.

The first instance is the most famous. The 1968 Jets were 2-0 when they went to War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo. Joe Namath threw f ive intercep- tions, three that the Bills returned for touchdowns, and the Jets lost 37-35. The Jets would lose only twice more that season on their way to their only Super Bowl title. The Bills f inished 1-12-1 , including a loss in the rematch with the Jets that year.

Th e 1972 Je t s we r e nowhere near as good as the ’68 team, but they again were 2-0 when a trip to the Astrodome went bad. They took a 10-0 lead on a Bobby Howf ield f ield goal, but four turnovers led to a 26-20 loss. The Oilers finished 1-13.

Eight years later, Archie Mann i ng led an 0 -14 Saints team into Shea Stadium, where it knocked off a terrible Jets team 21-20 thanks to three turnovers, two of those R ic ha rd Todd interceptions.

The l ast time it happened was in 1991, Bruce Coslet’s second season as Jets coach. The Jets would f inish 8-8 and go to the playoffs, but Jeff George and the dismal Colts won 28-27 at Giants Stadium.

Maybe all of this means nothing when it comes to Sunday. The Browns could be starting rookie Kevin Hogan at quarte r back. Their defense is abysmal, and the Jets looked like they figured a few things out last week.

Or it could be another chapter in one of the sorriest sections in Jets history.