Obviously, a die-hard fan of the New York Jets team, such as Dylan O’Brien, doesn’t need much encouragement when he’s asked about his views regarding the question of whether the New England Patriots will make the Super Bowl. The idea of the Patriots making the Super Bowl is troublesome for Jets fans, as they suffered a humiliating 42-10 defeat this season.
Dylan O’Brien echoes long-standing Jets fan frustration
O’Brien may be best known for playing the role of Thomas in The Maze Runner series, a blockbuster film at the box office, and playing the role of Stiles Stilinski in MTV’s Teen Wolf series, earning him the title of teen heartthrob. O’Brien has shown himself to be a talented actor in various films such as American Assassin, Deepwater Horizon, Love and Monsters, The Outfit, Not Okay, etc.
“Stop it now,” O’Brien said, half-laughing, half-pleading, as the nightmare scenario began to take shape.
“I would love it for him (Sam Darnold). Listen, I would love it for him. Uh, the Pats. Come on. It’s just not fair. I get it. Drake May, it’s just not fair. They keep hitting. We just never hit. Even when we hit, they got to go somewhere else to hit, you know.” O’Brien spoke of Darnold and the situations the Patriots are in.
But the frustration of O’Brien is by no means limited to the current calendar year alone. He thinks that’s a feeling all Jets fans are very familiar with, watching the Patriots continue to do what they do best—reloading with the best talent year after year—while Jets fans continue to ask their franchise to build the roster all over again. But with 5 first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 combined, they might be able to do it. That’s where O’Brien’s optimism stems from, too. Not to mention that they might be able to pick a franchise QB in 2027.
It was not an angry tone, but one that was resigned, with humor that was earned. O’Brien quipped that his sense of humor has been influenced by Jets fandom over the last couple of years. Maybe it’s been built on a sense of rebuilding, optimism, and disappointment. Suffering has been so familiar that it’s almost been a way of life for fans.
And yet, even as O’Brien confessed just how this optimism had so frequently gone awry, he said something even more telling. “Here’s what’s embarrassing,” he said, laughing. “I’m excited.”
That conflict is the essence of being a Jets fan: to know better, to believe anyway. Yet, despite the looming threat of the New England team, O’Brien fell back to the old reliable means of hope, of comedy, of belief. As far as the chances of New England returning to the Super Bowl one more time, O’Brien’s response was so Jets, it felt like it was scripted this way, not because it is unfortunate, but because it is simply so consistent with the team itself.
