New York Jets History
1960: Led by Lamar Hunt and
seven other owners a new football league is formed to rival the NFL. The new
league called the American Football League includes the New York Titans owned
Harry Wismer. The Titans who name legendary Quarterback "Slingin"
Sammy Baugh as their first coach, play their home games at the ancient
crumbling Polo Grounds, and are widely viewed in New York as a semi-pro team in
a semi-pro league. The AFL is initially loaded with NFL castoffs, and those
college players viewed as not good enough for the 40-year old NFL. The first
player signed by the Titans is Don Maynard a former flanker from Texas-Western,
who was passed up by the NFL, and was playing in Canada. Maynard would go on to
have a solid 13-year career, and would go on to the Hall of Fame. On September
11th the Titans took their field for the first time ever at a rain soaked Polo
Grounds against the Buffalo Bills. A disappointing crowd of only 10,200 showed
up to watch the Titans win 27-3. Attendance would not improve as the Titans,
and AFL played in front of empty stadiums all season in the league's inaugural
season. The Titans would end up going 7-7 finishing in second place.
1961: The Titans continue to
toil at .500, posting a 7-7 record for the second straight season as the AFL
struggles for creditability against the NFL and the Jets struggle to get
noticed with the NFL's New York Giants going to the NFL Championship Game for
the fourth time in six years.
1962: Through their first
three seasons the Titans continued to struggle around .500, Sammy Baugh was
replaced as coach while fans continued to stay away. Things got so bad that
owner Harry Wisner would have fans move down close to the field to give the
illusion on Television more fans were at the game. However, it was far from the
case as they only drew 36,151 over seven home games. Things would get worse
when Wisner was unable to make payroll forcing the AFL to take over the team's
finances in November. With all the financial distractions the Titans would
mange to only finish 5-9, and finish in Last Place.
1963: If the AFL was going to
survive long term it needed a New York presence, thus finding stable owners for
their New York franchise became the league's top priority. Eventually the team
was sold to a group headed by Sonny Werblin for $1 Million. Things were already
looking up for the team, as a new stadium awaited them in 1964, since the new
stadium was next to LaGuardia Airport; the team's name was changed from Titans
to Jets. Another more significant move was the hiring of Weeb Ewbank as head
coach. Ewbank who had successfully lead the Baltimore Colts to two consecutive
NFL Championships in 1958 and 1959, was recently fired, by the Colts who wanted
a younger coach. The Jets would still struggle with a 5-8-1 record. However,
attendance improved immensely as they drew 103,550 fans over seven games.
1964: The Jets finally land
in a new home as they begin play in the brand new state of the art Shea
Stadium. The Jets get off to a flying start at their new home by trouncing the
Denver Broncos 30-7 on September 12th. The Jets would once again struggle to
finish 5-8-1, but there was reason for hope for the future as Running Back Matt
Snell gains 948 yards, and is named AFL rookie of the Year.
1965: Through the AFL's first
five seasons the league was not considered a serious challenge for the NFL. The
AFL was still a last resort for players who could not make the NFL were too
old, or were trying for another shot in pro football. However that landscape
was shaken to its core during the off-season following the 1964 season. On
January 2nd, just one day after playing for National Champion Alabama in the
Orange Bowl Joe Namath signs a then unheard of $427,000 contract to play for
the Jets. Namath considered one of the top pro prospects had spurned the NFL to
play in what was thought to be a lesser league. In his first season Namath
would take over as starter early in the season and not look back as he would
win the AFL Rookie of the Year while passing for 2,220 yards, and 18
Touchdowns. However, the Jets would finish 5-8-1 for the third season in a row.
Even though Namath didn't bring immediate success to the Jets he brought about
change to pro-football. After the Namath signing NFL owners worried more
college prospect would be offered big deals to play in the rival league wanted
a common draft between the two leagues. As the discussions of a common draft
started the AFL got what it was looking for legitimacy, as the NFL agreed to
play the AFL in an annual Championship game. This would game would later become
known as the Super Bowl, and would become a National Holiday for Millions of
Football Fans.
1966: In his second season
the raw talent of Joe Namath becomes to show some of it s potential as he
passes for 3,379 yards and 19 touchdowns. However Namath also throws 27
interceptions as the Jets finish in third place with a mediocre record of
6-6-2.
1967: The development of Joe
Namath continues as he guides the Jets to their first ever winning season in
his third year as starting Quarterback. That year Namath also began to make his
mark in pro-football's record book becoming the first Quarterback ever in
either league to pass for over 4,000 yards in a season. The exciting play of
Broadway Joe helped the Jets set an AFL attendance record, selling out every
home game, as Jets games at Shea Stadium became the hottest ticket in New York.
1968: After coming of a
successful 8-5-1 season the Jets hoped they could finally win their division,
and play for the AFL Championship. The Jets would get off to a flying start
winning their first game over the Kansas City Chiefs thanks in part to ball
control in which the Jets held the ball the final 5:56 of the game. Two weeks
later in their home opener the Jets would pull off another last minute win as
Emerson Boozer scored a TD to give the Jets a 23-20 win over the San Diego
Chargers in front of an AFL record crowd of 63, 786 at Shea Stadium. With the Jets cruising towards the AFL
Championship game their November 17th game in Oakland against the Raiders set
itself up as a possible AFL Championship preview. The game was a back and forth
affair as the Jets scored a Touchdown with 1:05 left in the game to pull in
front 32-29. However, the high scoring game was taking a while to play, and NBC
executive began to sweat it out as the game was heading close to the 7pm start
of the Children's movie Heidi. NBC programmers decided that the game was over,
and decided to pull the end of the game off the air to show Heidi on time and
in its entirety. With in seconds thousands of irate football fans began calling
NBC, and their affiliates. Meanwhile the Raiders stormed back and scored two
Touchdowns in 42 seconds to win the game 43-32. Millions of fans on the East
Coast were left in the dark, and assumed the Jets had won; the outrage forced
NBC to apologize, and sent a massage to Television Programmers that
Pro-Football was a force on Television. The game would forever be known as
"The Heidi Game". After finishing 11-3 the Jets easily won the
Eastern Division and found themselves in a Heidi Game rematch with Raiders for
the AFL Championship at Shea Stadium in front of 62, 627 fans. . The Jets took
a 20-13 lead into the 4th quarter thanks to jumping out to a quick 10-0 lead in
the 1st quarter. The Raiders would not go down easily and would take a 23-20
lead midway through the fourth. However, Joe Namath and the Jets would not be
deterred as he drove the Jets down the field and threw a six yard pass to
original Titan Don Maynard for his third Touchdown pass of the game which a
gave the Jets a 27-23 lead the would not relinquish. The win would earn the
Jets a trip to the AFL-NFL Championship game, which for the first time was
officially being called the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl III: Going into
Super Bowl III the Jets were 18-point underdogs to the powerhouse Baltimore
Colts. In fact the Super Bowl was considered a mere exhibition since the NFL's
Green Bay Packers won the previous two encounters easily. The game had an
ironic twist for Coach Weeb Ewbank in that he was facing his former team, and
he was staring at Don Shula the man who replaced him five years earlier as head
coach. However, the match-up of Ewbank, and Shula became a mere after thought
after Joe Namath guaranteed the Jets would win. The guarantee was thought of as
a joke, the Jets did not have a chance, and now they were looking arrogant.
Many old school traditional football fans still had not accepted the presence
of the AFL, and were pulling for the Colts to shut the brash young Quarter
Back's mouth. Meanwhile AFL fans and players were pulling for the Jets, as
their shot at finally being accepted as a legitimate football league against
this back drop Super Bowl II, finally brought mass attention to the Championship
Game. When game time arrived
finally al the talking was done, and the Jets and Colts began to play what
would become the most important game in Pro-Football history. After one quarter
of play the Jets had held the powerful Colts to a stale mate as they harassed
starting Quarterback Earl Morrall all through out the opening period. In the
2nd Quarter the Jets finally got on the board taken a 7-0 lead with Matt Snell
scoring from four yards out. The Jets would continue to hold the Colts off the board
late in the 2nd Quarter when Morrall drove the Colts deep into Jets territory.
However, in one of the biggest blunders in Super Bowl history Morrall throws an
interception into double coverage while WR Johnny Orr was waving his hands all
alone near the endzone. The game would go to halftime 7-0. The Jets would
extend their lead to 10-0 after a long drive that opened the second half.
Meanwhile the Jets would continue to frustrate Morrall into mistakes, and would
go into the 4th Quarter leading 13-0 after another Jim Turner Field Goal. In
the 4th Quarter Turner would extend the lead to 16-0, and fans began to realize
the Jets might actually have a chance to win this one. However, the Colts would
not go down without a fight. With Morrall being ineffective Don Shula decided
to replace him with Johnny Untias, the all-time great Quarterback who had been
hampered all season with injuries, but had the experience to get the Colts back
into the game. Unitas would take the Colts down the field, and put them on the
board 16-7, and when the Colts recovered the on-side-kick all of a sudden they
were in business. However, Unitas did not have enough magic in his right arm
and was picked off late in the 4th Quarter. The Jets had done they had won the
Super Bowl, the AFL finally had legitimacy, and as the game ended Super Bowl
MVP Joe Namath ran off the field and into the locker room holding up his finger
saying "Were Number 1".
1969: The Jets flight to a
second straight Super Bowl hit turbulence even before the start of training
camp when Quarterback Joe Namath suddenly retired, rather then sell his
interest in the nightclub Bachelor's III. NFL commissioner Pete Rosell who now
had jurisdiction over the AFL teams and players demanded Namath sell the bar
because of unsavory characters that were partners in the ownership group.
Eventually Namath would come to his senses and sell the nightclub, and would
rejoin the Jets just in time the preseason. With Namath back in the saddle the
Jets would finish 10-4 and would cruise to their second consecutive Eastern
Division Title. That year the Jets needed to win an extra game to get to the
AFL Championship, since an extra round of playoffs were added. In the
interdivisional round the Jets faced the Kansas City Chiefs at Shea Stadium. The
Chiefs defense was able to shut down Broadway Joe all game forcing him into
thrown three interceptions. The Jets managed to stay close keeping the game
tied 6-6 into the 4th Quarter, but the Chiefs were too much and would pull out
a 13-6 win to advance o the AFL Championship Game, and eventually on to Super
Bowl IV, which they won easily.
1970: The merger, which was
instigated by the Jets signing of Joe Namath, and expedited by their victory in
Super Bowl III, is finally completed. Pro-football is now completely housed
under one league with the AFL fully joining its once rival league, and three
NFL teams joining the AFC to give both conferences an equal number of teams and
divisions. Along with the merger, 1970 saw a few other firsts that have become
a regular part of the NFL, and the Jets were right in the middle of these
changes. First came on opening day September 21st when the Jets faced the
Brows, (who recently moved to the AFC from the NFL) in Cleveland for the first
Monday Night Football game in NFL history. The Jets would end up losing the
Monday Night inaugural 31-21. The merger also brought to the AFC the Jets Super
Bowl III opponents the Baltimore Colts. Not only did they join the AFC, but
joined the AFC east meaning they were guaranteed two match-ups against the Jets
every year. In the first match up against the Colts on October 18th the Jets
season took a sudden down turn, as Joe Namath fractures his wrist in the 29-22
loss. The Jets would go on to finish with a disappointing 4-10 record while Namath
sat out the sidelines unable to play. However, the season would see another
first as regular season inter-conference play is introduced. The highlight of
the season comes when the Jets face the Giants at Shea Stadium on November 1st
in front of a sold out crowd. The Jets would grab an early lead, but without
Namath could not hold as the Giants took the first regular season math-up
22-10.
1971: The Jets struggle for
most of the season finishing with a disappointing record of 6-8 as Quarterback
Joe Namath misses most of the season due to a preseason knee injury.
1972: A 7-7 season is
highlighted by major individual accomplishments. First came Joe Namath's finest
single game performance on September 24th in Baltimore. Namath torched the
Colts for 496 yards passing as the Jets won 44-34. The next individual
accomplishment on October 15th when Running Backs John Riggins (168 yards) and
Emerson Boozer (150) became first tandem in history to hit the 150-yard mark in
a game. The final achievement accomplished by a Jet was when Wide Receiver Don
Maynard playing in his final NFL season set a new record for career receptions
at 632.
1973: The Jets are forced to
play their first six games on the road, losing two home games in the process,
as the Shea Stadium is used by the New York Mets who make an amazing run into
the World Series. In the season, which would be Weeb Ewbank's swan song, the
Jets would finish with a disappointing 4-10 record. Ewbank would also be
upstaged in his final game on December 16th at Shea Stadium as Buffalo Bills
Running Back O.J. Simpson rushes for 203 yards becoming the first rusher to
reach the 2,000-yard mark in NFL history.
1974: After going 1-7 over
the first part of the year the Jets snapped their slump with a titillating
26-20 overtime victory over the Giants at Yale Bowl in Hartford, Connecticut.
Joe Namath threw six yards to Emerson Boozer for the winning points and had a
bootleg Touchdown to tie the score. The win would be the start of a six game
winning streak that closed out the season at 7-7.
1975: Despite Running Back
John Riggins becoming the first Jet to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season,
the Jets could not avoid an awful 3-11 season.
1976: Another disastrous 3-11
season is highlighted by Head Coach Lou Holtz's feeble college coaching
techniques Holtz style would fail miserably in the pro, and he would quit
before the season's final game. The season would also turn out to be Joe
Namatth's final in a Jets uniform, as the Quarterback who led the Jets to Super
Bowl III is released following the season. Namath would end up playing one
final season with the Los Angeles Rams, but the knee injuries that hampered him
in his final years with the Jets followed him, and forced him to retire.
1977: While the Jets
struggled with their third consecutive 3-11 season, they won a major off the
field court decisions. The Jets who were sharing Shea Stadium with New York
Mets since 1964 were always forced to start the season on the road since the
Mets who were the primary tenant of Shea refused to allow the Jets to play any
home games until their season was over. The ruling allowed the Jets to use Shea
Stadium anytime the Mets were not playing, and only served as a precursor to
further troubles between the two teams.
1978: With a new look, and
opening game upset over the Miami Dolphins at Shea Stadium the Jets stay in
contention for most of the season before finishing with an 8-8 record.
1979: With Richard Todd
taking a bulk of the duties at Quarterback the Jets continue to play .500 football
posting an 8-8 record for the second straight season while finishing in third
place.
1980: In his second season as
starting, Quarterback Richard Todd suffers through a terrible season as he is
picked off 30 times while being sacked 40 times, as the Jets finish in last
place with a miserable 4-12 record, along the way they are the only team to
lose to the 1-15 New Orleans Saints.
1981: The Jets get off to a
0-3-1 start and once again look ticketed to an awful season. However a powerful
defense that earned the nickname "New York Sack Exchange". Joe Klecko
and Mark Gastineau who lead the NFL in sacks with 20.5, and 20 respectfully
lead the Sack Exchange. The Jets defense would spur them on to a 10-5-1 season,
which earns the Jets a Wild Card spot, and their first trip to the postseason
since 1969. In the Wild Card game at Shea Stadium against the Buffalo Bills,
the Jets get off to a rough start falling behind 24-0. However, the Jets would
fight their way back into the game before losing 31-27 when Quarterback Richard
Todd is intercepted on the Bill two yard line with ten seconds left in the
game.
1982: The Jets suffer a blow
in the second game of the season, as Sack Exchange member Joe Klecko is lost
for 14 weeks after suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in his knee in the 4th
quarter of a 31-7 win at New England. However, Klecko's injury would not affect
the Jets on the field as a 57-day Player's Strike started two days later. The
strike would shorten the season to nine games, and would increase the number of
playoff teams to eight in each conference. Upon their return the Jets would
finish 6-3, and make the playoffs comfortably as the sixth seed. In the 1st
Round of the Playoffs the Jets are matched up against the defending AFC
Champion Cincinnati Bengals. Running Back Freeman McNeil has the second best
game in playoff history with 202 yards rushing and Darrol Ray sets a postseason
record with a 98-yard interception for a Touchdown, as the Jets upset the
Bengals 44-17 in Cincinnati to mark their first playoff since Super Bowl III.
The Jets would move on face the Raiders in the 2nd Round in Los Angeles. The
Jets would stun the experts yet again beating he silver and black 17-14 to
advance on to the AFC Championship Game. Two Lance Mehl interceptions in the final
three minutes sealed the victory for the Jets. In the AFC Championship Game
played in Miami against their AFC East rival Dolphins the Jets find themselves
stuck in the mud as a sloppy Orange Bowl makes for a sloppy game. The game
would see a combined 12 turnovers as Dolphin Linebacker A.J. Duhe intercepted
three Richard Todd passes, including one in which he returned for a Touchdown
that gave the Dolphins a 14-0 victory. Shortly after the game Head Coach Walt
Michaels would resign to take a job in the newly formed USFL.
1983: On October 6th citing
Shea Stadium as "rundown, neglected and the NFL's poorest facility for
athletes and spectators alike" the Jets announced their plans to move to
the Meadowlands for the 1984 season. The Jets pledged to return to New York
City if a first-class professional stadium is ready for occupancy starting in
1989 under a lease equitable to the city and the Jets. In their final season at
Shea the Jets would finish with a disappointing 7-9 record, which included a
34-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final game at Shea on December
10th.
1984: The move across the
Hudson River to New Jersey gave the Jets a good stadium to play their home
games at. No longer did they play in a horseshoe where the wind would wreck
havoc on the style of play like at Shea Stadium. However, they moved into
Giants Stadium, and they lost their identity and became second-class citizens
to their NFC rivals. What was worse it brought a major inconvenience to their
largest fan base on Long Island. Even though Jets games were routinely sold out
many fans would chose not to go to the game then travel the two hour plus drive
across New York City to the Meadowlands. The Jets would lose their Meadowlands
debut 23-17 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 6th. The loss would be the
first of nine as the Jets once again failed to make the playoffs with a 7-9
record. However, Mark Gastineau made NFL history by recording 22 sacks, to
establish a new official single season record.
1985: The Jets complete a successful
11-5 season which earns them a Wild Card Playoff birth filled with many
highlights. On October 14th during an emotional Monday Night Halftime ceremony
the Jets retire Joe Namath's Number 12, and which help inspire the Jets to a
23-7 victory over the Dolphins. The Jets will offense would also sparkle in two
other wins first on November 17th when the Jets racked up a team record 62
points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That was followed up by a spectacular
96-yard pass from Ken O'Brien to Wesley Walker on December 8th in Buffalo.
However, the Jets success would not carry over into the playoffs. Turnovers are
the story as the Jets commit four costly ones while dropping a 26-14 decision
to the eventual AFC champions, New England. The Patriots score the backbreaking
Touchdown in the 3rd quarter on the return of a fumbled kickoff.
1986: The Jets get off to a
flying start thanks to one of the most memorable games in club history. The
Jets topped the Dolphins 51-45 in a wild Overtime contest. Ken O'Brien, who
passed for 479 yards and four Touchdowns, threw a perfect strike to Wesley
Walker from 21 yards out on the final play of regulation to tie the score. In
Overtime, Walker caught a club record fourth Touchdown Pass on a 43-yard bomb
at the 2:35 mark. The win would help spur the Jets on to an incredible 10-1
start. However, in their ninth straight win, Mark Gastineau would injure his
knee and would miss the final five weeks of the regular season. The Jets would
go on to lose all five games falling to a final 10-6 mark. However, the 10-1
start was still good enough for the Jets to land safely in the playoffs. After
ending the season with five straight defeats, Coach Joe Walton names Pat Ryan
as the starting Quarterback for the playoffs. The moves seemed to have paid off
as the Jets won their first home playoff games since 1968 with a 35-15
trouncing of the Kansas City Chiefs. The key play of the game was Ryan's
24-yard run on a Quarterback draw on 4th Down and six, to the Chiefs nine yard
line in the 1st quarter. The Jets took the lead two plays later and it set the
tone of the game. The Jets would move on to the Divisional Playoffs against the
Browns in Cleveland. The Jets appeared to be on the way to the AFC Championship
with a 20-10 lead with 4:14 left in the game, before the Browns mounted their
comeback that tied the score. Aiding the Browns comeback was Mark Gastineau who
had two unsportsmanlike penalties that gave the Browns 15 yards each. The Jets,
would receive a 2nd life in OT when Mark Moseley missed a 23-yard Field Goal,
but his 27-yard Field Goal, 2:02 into the second Overtime sent the Browns to
the AFC championship game.
1987: The Jets get off to a
strong start winning their first two games. However, the NFL would go on strike
as replacement players were used over the next three games. Though Mark Gastineau would cross the picket line the
Jets would win just one if the three scab games. When the regulars returned the
Jets would struggle as the split their next six games. Nonetheless they were in
the thick of the race for the AFC East title with a 6-5 record heading into
December. However, come December the Jets would go into a complete tailspin
losing their final four games as they finished in last place with a 6-9 record.
1988: On October 21st not
even half way through the season Linebacker Mark Gastineau stuns the Jets and
the NFL by retiring citing personal reasons. The Jets never were in the race
for a playoff spot but on the final game of the season the Jets beat the Giants
27-21 to post a winning record at 8-7-1 and in the process knocked the Giants
out of the playoffs. Al Toon caught the winning five yard Touchdwon pass on a
Ken O'Brien third down audible with only 37 seconds left.
1989: The Jets put together a
dismal 4-12 season in which fans expressed their ire at Head Coach by chanting
"Joe Must Go". Things would only get worse for the Jets as Gang Green
is shutout each of the teams final home games, while fans chanted and held
sings aimed at the coach. Shortly after the season the Jets gave their fans
what they wished for when Head Coach Joe Walton was fired.
1990: Under new Coach Bruce
Coslet the Jets would continue to struggle as they started to rebuild by
letting past stars like Marty Lyons, Mickey Schuler, and Wesley Walker go and
rebuilding with youth in the draft. The young Jets are led by first round draft
pick Rob Moore who scores six Touchdowns while collecting a solid 692 receiving
yards. Despite hitting double digits in losses for the second straight season
the Jets close the season on a positive note with two straight wins while
tallying a 6-10 record.
1991: The Jets muddle through
a mediocre season and enter the final game of the season in Miami with a 7-8
record. However, by beating the Dolphins earlier in the season the Jets were
actually in position to the make the playoffs via tiebreaker by beating their
heated rivals. If the Jets were going to win the game they would have to do it
without their all-time leading kicker Pat Leahy, who was forced to the
sidelines with an injury. The game would prove to be a back and forth tilt with
Miami taking the lead with 44 seconds left. However the Jets would quickly get
into Field Goal position and Leahy's replacement Raul Allegree booted a 44-yard
Field Goal to send the game to Overtime. In Obertime Allegree was the hero
again nailing a 30-yarder to send the 8-8 Jets to the playoffs. In their firt playoff game in give
years, several second half mistakes prevented the Jets from registering an
upset win at Houston as they fell, to the Oilers 17-10.
1992: After a 5-0 preseason
in which first year starting Quarterback Browning Nagle shinned there was hope
and optimism abound for the Jets and their fans. Nagle would get off to a
flying start as he threw for 366 yards and two Touchdowns in the season opener
at Atlanta. The yardage total was the second highest by an NFL Quarterback
making his first start. However, Nagle and the Jets dream would go crashing
back to reality as both struggled all season, and would wind up winning less
games in the regular season then the preseason and the Jets finished a woeful
4-12. However, the story of the season comes on November 29th when Defensive
End Dennis Byrd was partially paralyzed in a freak collision with teammate
Scott Mersereau in the 3rd quarter of a game against the Chiefs. Most Doctors
thought Byrd would never walk again, but spinal surgery and allot of hard work
helped Byrd overcome his injuries, and walk again. Byrd would become an
inspirational figure among his teammates and all who suffer spinal cord
injuries, by giving them hope for the future. The Jets would use Byrd as an
inspiration in the game following the injury as the Jets stunned the Bills in
Buffalo, allowing the Jets to snap a five year losing streak to the Bills.
1993: After a slow start the
Jets make a run for the playoffs thanks to a midseason five game winning
streak. The Jets would go into the final game of the season with fate in their
won hands. A win and they were in the playoffs with a 9-7 record. However, the
Jets were never in the games as the Oilers shut the Jets out 24-0. After the
game Head Coach Bruce Coslet was fired, and replaced by Defensive Coordinator
Pete Carroll.
1994: The Pete Carroll era
gets off to a good start as the Jets stand at 6-5 after their first 11 games.
In the six wins include a sweep of the Buffalo Bills, and a win in Miami over
the Dolphins. The stage was set for a first Place showdown with Dolphins on
November 27th at the Meadowlands. The Jets would come flying out of the gate as
75,606 people, the largest home attendance mark in Jets history, came to watch
the show down. The Jets fans were loud and all their feet all game long as the
Jets held a 24-6 lead in the 3rd Quarter. However Dolphins Quarterback Dan
Marino guided the Dolphins back into the game ad after two Touchdows the
Dolphins were with in a Field Goal as Marino drove the Dolphins down the file
in the final minute. Marino passed the ball deep into Jets territory with 30
seconds left and wet to the line as if he was going to stop the clock, instead
he faked the Jets out and threw a Touchdown Pass to Mark Ingram to give the
Dolphins a 28-24 victory. The Jets would not recover; they would lose their
final five games and finish the season 6-10. At the end of the season Carroll
is let go and replaced by Richie Kotite little did anyone know the Jets
miseries had just begun.
1995: The Richie Kotite era
gets off to a terrible start as the Jets are pummeled in their first game on
the road by the Miami Dolphins 52-14. Though the Jets would get revenge against
the Dolphins later in the season with a 17-16 win at the Meadowlands the Jets
and their fans are forced to endure a terrible 3-13 season that is worse then
the NFL's two expansion teams.
1996: With the hopes of a
quick turnaround the Jets drafted Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson with the
Number one overall pick, and singed Free Agent Quarterback Neil O'Donnell who
had just guided the Pittsburgh
Steelers to the Super Bowl. With these two new acquisitions most thought
the Jets would show measured improvements, after 3-13 it was hard to imagine
things would get worse. However, things would get worse far worse, as the Jets
suffered through their worst season ever winning just one game, and losing 15.
The Jets really would hit rock bottom in a blow out loss to the Houston Oilers
in a cold and rainy Giants Stadium. Though the game was sold out more then
60,000 no-shows led to almost empty Meadowlands, which would be completely
emptied as the Oilers continued to pour it on. After the season Richie Kotite
was fired with a miserable two year record of 4-28.
1997: After going 4-33 since
the Marino spike play desperate measures were needed to changes the fortunes of
the Jets. These drastic changes included luring Bill Parcells away from the AFC
Champion New England Patriots. However, Patriots owner Bob Kraft was no willing
to let a division rival take his coach away so easily. Eventually NFL
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped in and the Jets gave the Patriots several
draft picks over three years as a form of compensation. The move would pay
immediate dividends, as the Jets were 9-6 going into the final game of the
season in Detroit. The Jets would lose the game 13-10, and would miss out on
the playoffs, but for the first time in years there was reason for hope.
1998: Looking to improve the
team further the Jets signed Running Back Curtis Martin, and Quarterback Vinny
Testaverde. Initially Testaverde was the back-up behind Glenn Foley, but after
Foley was ineffective early Testaverde came in and the Jets took off. In a
season in which the Jets returned to their old look made famous by Super Bowl
III, the Jets looked like Champions finishing 12-4, and winning their first
division title since 1969, ending the longest drought in the NFL. After earning
a first round bye, the Jets needed just one win to earn a trip to the AFC
Championship Game. In a wild game, against the Jacksonville Jaguars the Jets
jumped to a 17-0 lead in the 2nd quarter only to see the Jaguars get back into
it before surging to another 17-point bulge, 31-14. The Jaguars closed to 31-24
before John Hall's 30-yard Field Goal closed the door sending the Jets to their
first conference championship game in 16 years. In the AFC Championship The
Jets took a 10-0 3rd Quarter lead in Denver, but were unable to play the
mistake-free football they had played all season and saw the Broncos come back
for a 23-10 victory en route to defending their Super Bowl championship. After
taking their 10-0 lead via a Field Goal and a blocked punt resulting in a Touchdown,
the Jets were victimized by a couple of big plays by John Elway and the running
of Terrell Davis 1967 yards and one Touchdown The Jets lost four fumbles and
had two passes deflected into interceptions.
1999: After falling one game
short of the Super Bowl, there was no reason not to think Jets were a
legitimate Super Bowl contender. However, the Jets Super Bowl dreams died in
the first half of the first Game when Quarterback Vinny Testaverde ruptured his
Achilles tendon. The injury left the Jets without a starting Quarterback and
would lead to a 4-8 start. However, former Rutgers star Ray Lucas would start
the final four games of the season allowing the Jets to finish with a
respectable 8-8 record.
2000: Shortly after the 1998
AFC Championship Longtime Jets owner Leon Hess died of complications from a
blood disease. Through out the injury plagued 1999 season the Jets were up for
sale, and as the season-ended final an owner was found. The New Jets owner was
Johnson and Johnson CEO Robert Wood Johnson. Head Coach Bill Parcells went
through an ownership change in New England and was not comfortable dealing with
a new boss, and resigned. His top assistant Bill Belichick would then take
over. However, in a bizarre reversal of Bill Parcells arrival Belichick would
resign and take the Patriots job, with Jets receiving compensation in the form
of draft picks. With Parcells, resigned to a front office job and Belichick off
to New England the Jets were forced to settle on Al Groh as their new Head
Coach. The Jets get off to a fast
start under Groh with a respectable 9-4 through the first 13 games. The fast
start is highlighted by the biggest comeback in the history of Monday Night
Football on October 23rd. The Jets score 23 points in the 4th Quarter against
Miami; take the game to overtime where John Hall kicks the winning field goal,
giving the Jets a 40-37 victory in what would be later voted the greatest
Monday Night Game ever and called "The Monday Night Miracle". However
the Jets would stall losing their final three games and missing the playoffs.
Shortly after the season Al Groh decides to leave the Jets to coach the
University of Virginia.
2001: An ugly Week 6 loss at
home to the St. Louis Rams dropped the Jets to 3-3, as the run defense allowed
Rams backup Running Back Trung Candidate to get over 200 rushing yards. A week
later the Jets narrowly beat the Carolina Panthers 13-12, and looked to be a
team heading in the wrong direction. However, the win was the start of a 4 game
winning streak and the Jets enjoyed a Thanksgiving week off in first place.
However the late season collapses of season's past reared its ugly head again
as the Jets dropped three of their next five games and faced a must win game in
the final week of the season just to make the playoffs. Making matters worse
the Jets had to win in Oakland a place they had not won in 30 years. The
Raiders and Jets battled back and forth all day before John Hall nailed a
53-yard field goal that sent the Jets flying into the postseason with a 24-22
win that ended the Jets season at 10-6. The win would set up a Wild Card
rematch in Oakland six days later, and the same magic was not be found, as the
Raiders torched the Jets all day in a 38-24 shootout.
2002: The Jets began the
season with a bang in Buffalo as Chad Morton returned two kickoffs all the way
for touchdowns including in overtime as the Jets beat the Bills 37-31. However,
the Jets would go into a tailspin in the next three games as they were
outscored 102-13 over their next three games. In a move hoping to jump-start
the team, Coach Herman Edwards benched QB Vinny Testaverde in favor of Chad
Pennington. In his first Pennington seemed to give the Jets a spark, but they
would blow a late lead at home to the Kansas City Chiefs to fall to 1-4. After
beating the Minnesota Vikings the Jets blew another 4th Quarter lead at home to
the Cleveland Browns as they continued to struggle with a 2-5 record. Most had
counted the Jets out and a reporter asked Coach Herman Edwards if the Jets were
playing out the string. Edwards respond in anger, "You Play to win, that's
all you ever do in this league." Play to win is exactly what the Jets did
as they embarked on a four game winning streak to get back in the race.
However, a bad loss on the road to the Chicago Bears in Week 15 had most again
doubting the Jets who needed to win their final two games and get allot of help
to make the playoffs. The Jets would do their part in primetime beating the New
England Patriots on the road in primetime 30-17 to keep their slim playoff
hopes alive. Entering the final game with a record of 8-7 the Jets need a win
and the Patriots to beat the Miami Dolphins to make the playoffs. As the Jets
took the field things looked bleak as the Patriots trailed the Dolphins all
game. However the Pats would rally to send the game in overtime where they won
on a field goal by Adam Vinateiri. As the final score went up a thunderous
eruption from the crowd at the Meadowlands sent the message the Jets were still
alive. The energy from the crowd seemed to spark something in the Jets who
erupted for a dominating 42-17 win over the Green Bay Packers to win the
competitive AFC East with a record of 9-7. The Jets continued to fly high six
days later as they dominated the Indianapolis Colts 41-0 to set up a rematch
with Oakland Raiders in the Divisional Playoffs. The Jets were flying so high
after their improbable late season run it seemed they could have gone to
Oakland without an airplane. The Jets played the Raiders tough through the firs
30 minutes as they tied the game 10-10 with a late Touchdown. However, the Jets
seemed to run out of steam in seconds half as the Raiders dominated them to win
the game 30-10 to advance to the AFC Championship Game.
2003: After a rough
off-season that saw the Jets lose several key players to free agency the Jets
took on more turbulence in the preseason when Quarterback Chad Pennington broke
his wrist in a preseason game against the New York Giants. With Vinny
Testaverde starting under center the Jets season was almost over before it
begun as they dropped their first four games. After two straight wins,
Pennington returned during a 24-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing
him to shake off the rust for his first start the following week against the
Giants. Pennington would play well as the Jets and Giants battled a full
overtime period before the Giants won 31-28 on a Field Goal that dropped the
Jets to 2-6. However with Pennington back the Jets started playing better
winning 3 of their next 4 games. However, the Jets would sputter home as losing
three of their last four games as they landed in last place with a record of
6-10.
2004: With Chad Pennington
healthy at the start of the season the Jets would get off to a flying start
winning their first five games. However in the middle of the season the Jets
would sputter losing three of their next four games as the Jets offense
struggled, with Pennington suffering tendonitis. With back up QB Quincy Carter
the Jets managed to win three in a row to sit at 9-3 entering a December 12th
match up with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was tied 3-3 entering the 4th
Quarter, before Jerome Bettis ran wild scoring a Touchdown on a run and
throwing a pass as the Steelers won 17-6. The loss would be the first of 3 as
the Jets limped home losing three of their last four games. However, their 10-6
record would still be good enough to earn them a playoff berth. The Jets would
also see Curtis Martin who passed the 13,000 career yardage mark, win the
rushing title 1,697 yards rushing beating out Shaun Alexander of the Seattle
Seahawks by one yard in the closest race for the rushing title in NFL history.
Also playing a key roll in the Jets playoff appearance was an improved defense
which was led by 1st round draft pick Jonathan Vilma who had 105 tackles, and
three interceptions while winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year. In the
playoffs the Jets faced the San Diego Chargers, the Jets defense controlled the
game early, as they held LaDainian Tomlinson to under 100 yards, while holding
a 17-7 lead into the 4th Quarter. The Jets appeared to have the game won as the
Chargers 4th down pass was incomplete. However a roughing penalty on Eric
Barton gave the Chargers a second chance as they tied the game with 16 seconds
left one play later. In overtime the Jets would dodge a major bullet as the
Chargers played conservatively once driving into Jets territory, before Nate
Kaeding missed a 40-yard Field Goal. The Jets would take advantage of this
second life and would win the game 20-17 on 28-yard Field Goal by Doug Brien
for their first road playoff win in 22 years. A week later against the 15-1
Steelers the Jets defense was again rising to the occasion as Reggie Tounge
returned an interception 86-yards to give the Jets a 17-10 lead in the 3rd
Quarter. The Steelers would battle back to tie the game. However the Jets would
have a chance to win the game in regulation only to see Doug Brien miss a
47-yard Field Goal with 1:58 left. The Jets defense would again step up
intercepting Steelers super rookie Ben Roethlisberger again, but the Jets like
the Chargers a week earlier played too conservatively, as Brien's 43-yard
attempt at the end of regulation also missed. In overtime the Steelers would
take advantage winning the game on a 33-yard Field Goal by Jeff Reed for a
20-17 win to advance to the AFC Championship.
2005: After a strong showing
in the postseason the Jets entered the season with many viewing them as a top
contender in the AFC. However on the first series of the year the Kansas City
Chiefs sliced through the Jets defense on a three play 75-yard scoring drive
highlighted by a 35-yard Touchdown run from Larry Johnson. After sputtering on
their first drive the Jets were hit again as the Chiefs made it 14-0 on a
Touchdown run from Priest Holmes, as they went on to beat the Jets 27-7. After
bouncing back to win their home opener over the Miami Dolphins 17-7, the wings
fell off in Week 3 as both Quarterback Chad Pennington and back up Jay Fiedler
suffered shoulder injuries in a 26-20 overtime loss to the Jacksonville
Jaguars. Losing both quarterbacks made the Jets desperate as they reached out
and lured Vinny Testeverde out of retirement. After Brooks Bollinger struggled
in a 13-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens the Jets made Testeverde the starter and
he was solid enough to help the Jets beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14-12.
However, Testeverde showed his age in the rest of his starts as the losses
began mounting for the Jets. After seven straight losses the Jets got more bad
news as Running Back Curtis Martin was shut down for knee surgery as he saw his
string of ten straight seasons of 1000 yards rushing or better come to an end.
Despite missing Martin, the Jets would end their losing streak in Week 14 with
a solid 26-10 win over the Oakland Raiders. The Jets would go on to win another
meaningless came against the Buffalo Bills to close out the disappointing
season which saw them land in last place with an awful 4-12 record. Following
the season the Jets would allow Coach Herm Edwards to leave and Coach the
Kansas City Chiefs, getting a draft pick in return, while the Jets decided to
go with youth to replace him as they hired 35-year New England Patriots
Defensive Coordinator Eric Mangini.
2006: When the season began
with new Coach Eric Mangini, there was not much optimism surrounding the Jets,
as Running Back Curtis Martin was unable to return from a knee injury, as his
career end unceremoniously on injure reserve. With Leon Washington taking the
bulk share of the running game, along with the Kevan Barlow who was acquired
during the pre-season from the San Francisco 49ers, the Jets entered the season
relying heavily on Quarterback Chad Pennington who was returning from elbow
surgery. In the season opener the Jets got off to a strong start building a
16-0 lead on the road against the Tennessee Titans, but the Titans battled back
to tie the game in the 4th Quarter. Rather then unravel the Jets rebounded and
won the game 23-16 on a short Pennington to Chris Baker Touchdown pass with
2:10 left. After losing their home opener to the New England Patriots, the Jets
proved to be road warriors again with a 28-20 win over the Buffalo Bills. The
following week came another home loss, but with in came allot to be proud as
they gave the Indianapolis Colts all they could losing in the final minute
31-28 on a one yard sneak by Peyton Manning. After a 41-0 thumping at the hands
of the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road the Jets finally figured out how to win
at home beating the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions in consecutive games. However
a week later the Jets slipped back a notch again losing to the Cleveland Browns
20-13 heading into a rematch with the Patriots on the road. In Foxboro in was
the student giving the teacher a lesson as the Jets defense frustrated Tom
Brady all day in the rain pulling off the upset 17-14, as Pats Coach Bill
Belichick hardly acknowledged Mangini after the game. However the rest of the
NFL was as the Jets defense was suddenly playing well and had the Jets in the
playoff chase, despite a frustrating 10-0 loss at home to the Chicago Bears.
That loss would be a mere bump in the road as the Jets would win five of their
last six games to sneak into the playoffs with a 10-6 record. Getting into the
playoffs would set up another match up with the Patriots in Foxboro. However,
this time it was on New England's terms as the postseason was their domain, as
the Jets were overmatched as the Patriots pulled away late turning a close game
into a 37-16 laugher.
2007: The Jets would not have
to wait long to have a rematch with the New England Patriots as they faced them
at home in the season opener. However, things did not go well for the Jets as
they were beaten badly 38-14, while the story of the game came when Coach Eric
Mangini caught his former mentor spying on his team's signals. A scandal would
emerge that would tarnish the Patriots and further drive a wedge between the
two franchises. A week later with Quarterback Chad Pennington on the bench,
back up Kellen Clemens struggled in his first career start as the Jets were beaten
by the Baltimore Ravens 20-13. Pennington would return one week later thrown
for two touchdowns and running another in as the Jets earned their first win of
the year by beating the Miami Dolphins 31-28. However, Pennington and the Jets
would never get off the ground as they dropped their next five games and found
themselves sitting at 1-7 with the playoffs out of reach before Thanksgiving.
Chad Pennington would eventually be benched in favor of Kellen Clemens the
second round pick in the 2006 draft. After a bitter overtime loss to the
Washington Redskins, Clemens would get his first NFL win on November 18th
thanks to Mike Nugent who tied the with 23 seconds left then won the game in
overtime, as the Jets stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers 19-16. The win would not
be savored long as the Jets put up their worst effort of the season on
Thanksgiving losing to the Dallas Cowboys 34-3. The Jets would only win two
more games the rest of the season as they posted a terrible 4-12 record.
2008: Following their disappointing
season the Jets worked quickly on remaking the roster as they parted ways with
several players including Jonathan Vilma, while being heavily involved in the
free agency market signing All-Pro Guard Alan Faneca away from the Pittsburgh
Steelers, along with Tight End Bubba Franks who was one of Brett Favre's go to
receivers with the Green Bay Packers. As training camp was beginning and Favre
had second thoughts about retiring the Jets quickly got themselves in the
picture to land the legendary Quarterback. When the Packers and Favre finally
decided to part ways it was the Jets who would benefit as they got the future
Hall of Famer for a conditional draft pick. The Jets were quickly hot with
Favre fever as Chad Pennington was released as Jets practices became a media
event. Favre's debut with the Jets was a good one as they beat the Miami
Dolphins led by Chad Pennington in the season opener on the road, with Favre
throwing for 194 yards with two Touchdowns including a 56-yard pass to Jerricho
Cotchery in the 1st Quarter. After losing their next two next two games, Brett
Favre began to find his comfort level with a career high six Touchdown passes
in a 56-35 win over the Arizona Cardinals at the Meadowlands. Following a bye
week the Jets split their next two games and stood at 3-3, as they trailed the
Kansas City Chiefs 24-21 in the 4th Quarter at the Meadowlands as Favre had a
pass picked off a returned 91 yards for a Touchdown by Brandon Flowers.
However, as he did often in his career with the Packers, Favre shook off the
mistake and led the Jets to a game winning drive, connecting with Laveranues
Coles on 15-yard pass with just one minute remaining to win the game 28-24. The
Jets would go on a winning streak, winning their next two games as they faced the
New England Patriots in a Thursday Night showdown with first place on the line.
In one of the best games of the year Brett Favre was sharp passing for 258
yards with two Touchdowns, while Leon Washington ignited the Jets with a
92-yard kickoff return. However, the Patriots playing with back up Quarterback
Matt Cassell refused to quit tying the game 31-31 with one second left on a 16
yard pass to Randy Moss. In overtime, it was all Jets as Jay Feely won the game
with 34 yard Field Goal. Ten days later the Jets would establish themselves as
one of the top teams in the AFC as they handed the Tennessee Titans their first
loss with a stunning 34-13 win in Nashville. At 8-3 the Jets appeared to be
flying high. However, a sore shoulder for Brett Favre prevented him from making
his usual strong passes, as the Jets suddenly started to sputter losing two in
a row, as Favre failed to throw for a Touchdown pass in each game. Favre
continued to struggle a week later, but the Jets took advantage of a fumble by
J.P. Losman to beat the Buffalo Bills 31-27. However, it was just a temporary
reprieve as the Jets lost to the Seattle Seahawks 13-3 losing all hope of
winning the AFC East, as Favre continued to struggle. In their season finale
the Jets faced the Miami Dolphins again, this time at the Meadowlands. This
time all the excitement over Favre was gone as he was picked off three times,
while Chad Pennington was error free leading the Dolphins to a 24-17 win that
won the AFC East, while the Jets season ended at 9-7, without the playoffs. A
day later the Jets would fire Coach Eric Mangini, while Brett Favre retired for
the second straight season.
2009: Like he did a year
earlier Brett Favre would change his mind, and end up playing another season
with the Minnesota Vikings. However, by the time that happened the Jets had
moved on they had a new coach and a new quarterback, both of whom were rookies.
The rookie coach was Rex Ryan, who was the Defensive Coordinator with the
Baltimore Ravens, and had a strong pedigree in coaching defense. His father
Buddy Ryan was a longtime Coach in the NFL, serving on the Jets Coaching Staff
during the 1968 Super Bowl season, before later leading the Chicago Bears
fierce defense in Super Bowl XX. Buddy Ryan also served as a head coach and had
Rex Ryan on his staff. The rookie quarterback was Mark Sanchez of USC, who the
Jets made a bold trade in the draft with the Cleveland Browns, sending their
first and second-round picks, DE Kenyon Coleman, S Abram Elam, and QB Brett
Ratliff to get the fifth overall pick to select Sanchez. Starting the season on
the road, the Jets played well beating the Houston Texans 24-7, as Sanchez
avoided the big mistake, while the Jets defense smothered the Texans. In their
home opener the Jets beat the New England Patriots 16-9, as Darrelle Revis
completely shutdown WR Randy Moss. The Jets winning ways continued with a 24-17
win over the Tennessee Titans, as Mark Sanchez continued to just play it safe,
while the Jets defense and running game controlled the game. However, beginning
with a 24-10 road loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Jets season hit some
serious turbulence, as they lost six of their next seven games, losing Tackle
Kris Jenkins and RB Leon Washington along the way, as the Jets playing from
behind were forced to allow Mark Sanchez to throw the ball more, which led to
rookie struggles, making the struggle hurt even more were that four of the
losses came against AFC East rivals. With three straight losses the Jets needed
a jump start as they faced the Carolina Panthers at the Meadowlands in Week 12
the Jets got it from Darrelle Revis who returned a Jake Delhomme interception
67 yards for a 1st Quarter touchdown as the Jets got back on track with a 17-6
win. A week later playing the Buffalo Bills in Toronto, the Jets got back to
.500, as Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene combined for 168 yards rushing, as the
Jets compiled 249 total yards on the ground to beat the Bills 19-13. Playing
without Mark Sanchez, who sprained his knee in the Bills game the Jets defense
picked off Josh Freeman three times as the Jets improved to 7-6 with a 26-3 win
over the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sanchez would return a week later and
struggled badly with three interceptions as the Jets lost a heartbreaker at
home to the Atlanta Falcons 10-7, as Matt Ryan connected with Tony Gonzalez on
a touchdown with 98 seconds left to win the game.
2009 Playoffs: At 7-7 the
Jets needed a Christmas miracle to make the playoffs, as they went on the road
to face the 14-0 Indianapolis Colts two days after Christmas. Trailing 15-10
the Jets got a Christmas present from the Colts, who decided to rest their
starters late in the 3rd Quarter. The Jets would take the lead as Marques
Douglas returned a fumble from Colts back QB Curtis Painter for a Touchdown. The
Jets would go on to win the game 29-15 to give themselves a chance to make the
playoffs with a win in their final game. The Jets last game would be the last
game ever at Giants Stadium, as they hosted the Cincinnati Bengals needing just
a win to reach the playoffs. A win would also mean a rematch the Bengals in six
days, so the Jets would again benefit from a team resting starters, as the
Bengals not wanting to tip their hand barely gave any effort as the Jets won
37-0 to finish the season with a record of 9-7. The Bengals came out firing in
the Wild Card round, as Carson Palmer connected with Laveranues Coles on an 11
yard touchdown pass to give the Bengals a 7-0 lead in the 1st quarter. The Jets
would respond in the 2nd quarter as Shonn Greene tied the game with a 39 yard
run, and later took the lead as Mark Sanchez connected with Dustin Keller on a
45 yard touchdown pass. The Jets lead would expand to 21-7 on a touchdown run
by Thomas Jones, as the Jets defense frustrated the Bengals all day. The Bengals
would final get back in the endzone with a 47 yard run by Cerdic Benson.
However, it would not be enough as Jay Feely hit a chip shot with just under
six minutes left to seal a 24-14 win for the Jets. A week later against the San
Diego Chargers, the Jets defense turned up the pressure and had the Chargers
offense spinning their wheels, with a mere 7-0 lead at halftime, as kicker Nate
Kaeding missed three Field Goals. Jay Feely would get the Jets on the
scoreboard in the 3rd quarter, as the Chargers began to unravel in the 4th
quarter when Jim Leonhard returned a Phillip Rivers interception to the
Chargers 16 yard line. The Jets would capitalize on the turnover as Mark
Sanchez connected with Dustin Keller to give gang green a 10-7 lead. The lead
would grow to 17-7 on a 53 yard touchdown run by Shonn Greene. The Chargers
would cut the lead to 17-14 on a 1-yard sneak by Phillip Rivers with just over
two minutes left. However, the Jets would recover the onside kick and run out
the clock to reach the AFC Championship Game. Returning to Indianapolis the
Jets who a month earlier needed a Christmas miracle to get in the playoffs were
now just 60 minutes from the Super Bowl. Early on the Jets controlled the game,
and led 17-6 late in the 2nd Quarter. However, Colts QB Peyton Manning found
his rhythm just before halftime as he quickly led the Colts down the field for
a touchdown to cut the Jets lead to three points. Coming out in the second half
it was all Manning and all Colts, as the NFL's MVP tore apart the Jets defense
and led the Colts to a 30-17 win to advance to Super Bowl XLIV.
2010: After their surprise
run to the AFC Championship Game, the Jets became the talk off the NFL as they
spent the off-season taking advantage of the NFL's uncapped season by beefing
up their team for a Super Bowl run which was guaranteed by Coach Rex Ryan.
Helping to drive the Jets pre-season hype was an appearance on HBO's reality
show "Hard Knocks" that saw the personality of Rex Ryan steal the
show, as the new acquisitions Antonio Cromartie, Jason Taylor, Santonio Holmes,
and LaDainian Tomlinson tried to fit their way into the lineup. Meanwhile the
Jets had to deal with a hold from All-Pro Cornerback Darelle Reavis. The Jets
would finally sign Reavis to a new deal before the season, as they opened the
season in the new Meadowlands Stadium on Monday Night against the Baltimore
Ravens. The game would end in disappointment for the Jets as they could not get
anything going offensively in a 10-9 loss that saw Mark Sanchez only manage 74
yards passing. A week later the Jets would rebound nicely with a 28-14 win over
the New England Patriots, as the Jets shut down the powerful Patriots offense
in the second half. The win over the Pats would be the start of a five game
winning streak that had the Jets standing atop the AFC East with a 5-1 record
during their bye week. The final win demonstrated the Jets ability to comeback
as they drove down the field to beat the Denver Broncos 24-20 in the final
minutes, with LaDainian Tomlinson scoring the winning Touchdown. Coming out of
the bye the Jets offense looked out of sync as they suffered a lackluster 9-0
loss to the Green Bay Packers at the Meadowlands. A week later the Jets
appeared to be heading for another loss as they trailed the Detroit Lions 20-10
in the final three minutes on the road. However, the Jets offense woke up in
time as Mark Sanchez drove down the field twice, once for a TD and than for a
game tying Field Goal as time expired. In overtime the Jets would win the coin
toss and drive down the field for a Nick Folk 30 yard Field Goal to win the
game 23-20. A week later the Jets would need overtime again to beat the
Cleveland Brown 26-20 as Mark Sanchez connected with Santonio Holmes for a 37
yard Touchdown pass. It marked the first time in NFL history a team won
back-to-back overtime games on the road. Coming back home the Jets would need
another miracle as the Houston Texans scored 20 unanswered points in the 4th
Quarter to take a 27-23 lead. Down by four points with the ball on the 28 yard
line the Jets quickly drove down the field as Mark Sanchez hooked up with
Braylon Edwards on a 42 yard pass to the Texans 6 yard line with 16 seconds
left. On the next play Sanchez found Santonio Holmes in the endzone as the Jets
won 30-27. After beating the Bengals 26-10 on Thanksgiving the Jets entered a
Monday Night Showdown with the Patriots at 9-2 with the AFC East on the line.
The Jets would come up flat as the Patriots dominated their way to a 45-3 win.
Suddenly reeling the Jets suffered a 10-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins against a
chilled rain at the Meadowlands. Needing a jump start the Jets got it as Brad
Smith returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a Touchdown as the Jets got
back on track with a 22-17 win on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The
Jets would lose their next game on the road to the Chicago Bears 38-34, but
clinched a playoff spot as they would end the regular season by beating the
Buffalo Bills 38-7 to finish the season with an 11-5 record.
2010 Playoffs: The Jets 2010
postseason began where the 2009 postseason came to an end Indianapolis as the
Jets faced the Colts in the Wild Card Round. Defense was the story for most of
the first half as neither team scored in the 1st Quarter. The Jets defense
would make one mistake allowing Peyton Manning to connect with Pierre Garcon on
a 57 yard Touchdown pass to give the Colts a 7-0 lead in the 2nd Quarter. The
Jets would tie the game on a LaDainian Tomlinson Touchdown in the 3rd Quarter.
After Adam Vinatieri kicked a Field Goal to give the Colts a 10-7 lead,
Tomlinson again capped a scoring drive to give the Jets a 14-10 lead early in
the 4th Quarter. However, the Colts would respond with two Vinatieri Field
Goals to take a 16-14 lead with 55 seconds left. On ensuing kickoff Antonio
Cromartie returned the ball to Jets 46 yard line to set up the Jets near
midfield with a chance to win the game. The Jets would take advantage of the
field position and drive down to the Colts 14 yard line to set Nick Folk up for
a game winning 32 yard field goal that gave the Jets a 17-16 win as time
expired. A week later the Jets were back in Foxboro for a rematch with the New
England Patriots in the Divisional Playoffs. It looked as if the Patriots would
dominate the Jets again as Tom Brady quickly drove the ball down the field.
However, an interception by David Harris helped settle the game down and let
the Jets catch their breath as the Patriots managed just one Field Goal in the
1st Quarter. In the 2nd Quarter the Jets would take over as Mark Sanchez had
two Touchdown passes to give the Jets a 14-3 halftime lead. After a hard
hitting 3rd Quarter the Patriots began their comeback as Tom Brady connected
with Alge Crumpler adding a two point conversion to pull within a Field Goal as
the game entered the final 15 minutes. The Jets would answer back as Sanchez
connected with Santonio Holmes, with Shonn Green adding a 16 yard TD run the
Jets would go on to hold off the Patriots 28-21 win to reach the AFC
Championship Game for the second year in a row. Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers
things started off badly for the Jets as the Steelers began the game with a
long grinding drive that ended in a Rashard Mendenhall Touchdown run. The
Steelers would eventually build a 24-0 lead in the 2nd Quarter. Just before
halftime the Jets would get on the board with a 42 yard Nick Folk Field Goal.
The Jets would continue the momentum into the second half as Mark Sanchez
connected with Santonio Holmes on a 45 yard score. However, the Jets offense
would stall as they entered the final quarter down 24-10. Things began to look
bleak as the Jets were turned away at the goaline midway through the 4th
Quarter. However, Mike DeVito took down Ben Roethlisberger for a safety to give
the Jets a chance. They would score on the ensuing offensive possession to get
within a TD with 3:06 left in the game. However, the Steelers would be able to
run out the clock to preserve a 24-19 win as Roethlisberger connected with
Antonio Brown for a big conversion on 3rd down and six to clinch the victory.
2011: Coming off two trips to
the AFC Championship Game, which both resulted in losses the Jets came out of
the preseason lockout aggressive as they tried to land several big name players
who were free agents. However, they came up short and in the process lost some
key contributors to their playoff run. Players like third down receiver Jericho
Cotchery, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Wild Cat package QB Brad
Smith, who also returned kicks and played receiver before shuffling off to
Buffalo. The only star they landed was Plaxico Burress who had spent the last
two years in a New York State Prison after accidentally shooting himself in a
night club. The Jets were also stunned by the departure of David Harris to the
New England Patriots. Undeterred Coach Rex Ryan was confident and guaranteed
the Jets would win the Super Bowl. On emotional night at the Meadowlands, on
the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the Jets hosted the Dallas
Cowboys in primetime. Things did not start smoothly for the Jets, who trailed
24-10 in the fourth quarter. However, the Jets would make a late charge with
Mark Sanchez connecting with Plaxico Burress on a 26 yard Touchdown pass. They
would than tie the game off a blocked punt from Isaiah Trufant. With a minute
left in the Darrelle Revis picked off Tony Romo to set up Nick Folk who won the
game for the Jets 27-24 with a 50 yard Field Goal. A week later the Jets would
reach cruising altitude as they crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars 32-3. Hitting
the road for the first time, the Jets would suffer their first loss against the
Oakland Raiders 34-24 as the Jets run defense was shredded by Darren McFadden
who rushed for 171 yards with two touchdowns. A week later the Jets would have
more bumps in the road as they got mauled by the Baltimore Ravens 34-17 on
Sunday Night Football. The Jets defense continued to sputter the following
week, as they lost on the road again to the New England Patriots 30-21 as
BenJarvis Green-Ellis rushed for 136 yards with two touchdowns. Coming home to
Met Life Stadium, the Jets would get back on track with a 24-6 win over the
Miami Dolphins, as Darrelle Revis provided an emotional swing with a 100 yard
interception return in the first quarter as the Dolphins were on the verge of
taking an early 10-0 lead. Continuing their strong play at home the Jets scored
17 unanswered points in the second half to zoom past the San Diego Chargers for
a 27-21 win, as Mark Sanchez had three touchdown passes to Plaxico Burress.
After 27-11 road win against the Buffalo Bills, the Jets came home for a
rematch with the Patriots looking to grab the AFC East lead. However, in
primetime Tom Brady lit up the sky, passing for 329 yards, with three
touchdowns as the Patriots beat the Jets 37-16, earning a season sweep. Playing
just four nights later on Thursday Night Football, the Jets felt a Mile Low on
the road, as the Denver Broncos led by QB Tebow's 20 yard TD stunned the Jets
17-13. At 5-5 the Jets looked in danger of falling below .500, as Bills WR
Steve Johnson who earlier mocked Santonio Holmes' Touchdown celebration dropped
a pass in the endzone. With new life the Jets rallied to win the game 28-24, as
Holmes did his own celebrating on a 16 yard Touchdown reception with 1:09 left.
With Shonn Greene leading the way in Washington, the Jets scored 21 points in
the fourth quarter to break open a back and forth battle with the Redskins
34-19. A week later they appeared to be finding their groove as they cremated
the Kansas City Chiefs 37-10.However, just when it looked like the Jets would
cruise to the playoffs, the bottom would fall out of their season as they
played a terrible game and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 45-19. This would
set up a Christmas Eve showdown with the New York Giants, who themselves were
having an up and down season. The game would be on of survival as the winner
would hold their playoff fate and the loser would go on life support. The
boastful Jets who proclaimed themselves the official team of New York would
dominate the game early as they held a 7-3 lead and had the Giants pinned on
their own one yard line. It was at that moment to teams fates when in opposite
directions, as Eli Manning connected with Victor Cruz on a 99 yard Touchdown
pass. The Giants would go on to win the game 29-14, and would go on to win the
Super Bowl. While the Jets season would end at 8-8 with a third straight loss
against the Miami Dolphins 19-17, as the Jets were forced to bench Santonio
Holmes, with the game on the line after he argued with QB Mark Sanchez. Dazed
and confused the Jets would fire Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and
hire ex-Dolphins Coach Tony Sparano as they stunned the football world by
acquiring Tim Tebow from the Denver Broncos for the sole purpose of running the
wild cat. Nobody was more bewildered than Mark Sanchez.
2012: When the season began
the main question surrounding the Jets was just how they were going to use Tim
Tebow. In his first game, Tebow carried the ball five times for just 11 yards.
However, it would make no impact on the game as the Jets got off to a flying
start with a 48-28 blowout win over the Buffalo Bills at Met Life Stadium. The
Jets got big plays everywhere as Jeremy Kerley returned a punt 68 yards for a
Touchdown, while Mark Sanchez had three touchdown passes as the Jets defense
picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick three times, including a 40 yard pick six for
Antonio Cromartie. A week later the Jets would come back to earth as they
suffered a 27-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets would rebound with a
23-20 overtime win over the Miami Dolphins on the road. However, the comeback
win would come at a high price as CB Darrelle Revis suffered a season ending
knee injury. Without Revis, the Jets suffered one of their worst losses in
years, a 34-0 shutout loss at home to the San Francisco 49ers. In the game they
would also los WR Santonio Holmes to a foot injury. Entering a Monday Night
game against the Houston Texans the Jets were double digit underdogs. However,
they played a strong game and kept it close all the way, but in the end the
Texans held on to win the game 23-17 as the Jets dropped to 2-3. The Jets
playing at home for the third straight week would get back to .500 with a 35-9
over the Indianapolis Colts, as they picked off Rookie Quarterback Andrew Luck
twice, while Shonn Greene and Joe McKnight combined for 232 rushing yards with
three touchdowns. A week later the Jets traveled to Foxboro and had the New
England Patriots on the ropes with a 26-23 lead. However, Tom Brady got the
Pats down the field and got the game in overtime. The Patriots would take the
first possession of overtime and got a 48 yard Field Goal by Stephen
Gostkowski. New overtime rules gave the Jets one possession to tie or win the
game, but Mark Sanchez would be stripped as the Pats won the game 29-26. A week
later under a darkened sky ahead of Hurricane Sandy, the Jets played a sloppy
game at home and suffered a 30-9 loss at the hands of the Dolphins. After going
into the bye week with a record of 3-5, the Jets struggles continued as they suffered
a third straight loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks 28-7. The Jets would
get back in the win column with a strong 27-13 win over the St. Louis Rams, as
the Jets defense picked off Sam Bradford once and forced two fumbles. However,
four days later the Jets season would completely unravel with an embarrassing
49-19 loss to the Patriots on Thanksgiving Night. The Patriots would score five
touchdowns the 2nd quarter,
including three during a 52 second stretch, which featured a fumble by Mark
Sanchez in which he ran into the back of his own lineman Steven Moore in a play
that would live in infamy with the name "Buttfumble". The Jets would win the next two games,
after the Buttfumble game, but fans had completely turned against Sanchez as
the Jets beat the Arizona Cardinals 7-6, with Greg McElroy coming on to throw
the winning TD pass in the 4th Quarter. A week later the Jets earned a 17-10
win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite collecting 166 yards rushing
compared to Sanchez putrid 111 yards passing. The ugly play would catch up to
the Jets a week later as they suffered a 14-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, as
Sanchez was picked off four times. McElroy would get the start a week later,
and suffered a concussion as the Jets clinched their first losing season since
2007 with a 27-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers. The Jets season would end
with a 28-9 loss to the Bills as they finished with a record of 6-10. When it
was all over the number showed just how ugly the season was as Mark Shanchez
had 13 touchdown passes against 26 turnovers, while Timn Tebow was hardly used
at all and served only to distract and divide the locker. Following the season
the Jets would fire General Manager Mike Tannenbaum and replace him with John
Idzik, while Tebow was released.
2013: After a tumultuous
season, the Jets were just looking for some stability, as they selected Geno
Smith to challenge Mark Sanchez for the starting quarterback job. However, the
second round pick out of West Virginia ended up carrying the load, after
Sanchez suffered a shoulder injury in the pre-season. The Jets hosted the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers in their season opener. Geno Smith struggled early, throwing a
costly interception as the Buccaneers lead early 14-5. However, as the first
half came to a close Smith connected with Kellen Winslow II for his first
career touchdown to get back in the game. After a scoreless third quarter, the
Jets took the lead on a Nick Folk Field Goal. The Buccaneers though appeared to
have the game won as Rian Lindell kicked a 37 yard field goal with 34 seconds
left. Geno Smith would get the ball to midfield but forced out of the pocket
time appeared to be slipping away until he is by Lavonte David after stepping
out of bounds. With the penalty, the Jets are able to win 19-17 the game on a
48 yard Field Goal by Folk. The Jets would face the New England Patriots in a
Thursday Night game at Foxboro Stadium. The Jets revamped defense did a
terrific job keeping the Patriots in check, but three interceptions in the
fourth quarter would doom the Jets to a 13-10 loss. Alternating wins and losses
would become the Jets hallmark, as they rebounded to beat the Buffalo Bills
27-20 in Week 3, as Geno Smith connected with Santonio Holmes on a 69 yard
touchdown pass. The pass came moments after the Bills tied the game after
trailing by two touchdowns.
Following an ugly Week 4 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Jets would
upset the Atlanta Falcons in their only Monday Night appearance of the season.
The Jets had controlled the game taking a 17-7 lead at the half. The Falcons
would battle back to take the lead with under two minutes left, but Geno Smith
showing veteran poise guided the Jets into Field Goal range, as Nick Folk won
the game 30-27 with a 43-yard
Field Goal. However, a week later Smith looked anything but a franchise QB as
he struggled in a 19-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. A week later, in their rematch with the
Patriots at Met Life Stadium, the Geno Smith again struggled early as the Pats
held a 21-10 lead at the half. However, the Jets would turn things around as
Antonio Allen intercepted and returned a Tom Brady pass 23 yards for a
touchdown. Geno Smith added an eight yard TD run and Nick Folk added a Field
Goal to give the Jets 17 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Patriots
would battle back to tie the game.
In overtime, Rex Ryan would roll the dice and have Nick Folk attempt a
58 yard Field Goal. The kick was no good, but the Patriots were flagged for
unsportsmanlike conduct. Given a second chance from 43 yards, Folk was dead
center perfect as the Jets won the game 30-27. The Jets again would be unable
to keep the momentum, as they suffered a 49-9 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Jets would continue to alternate wins and losses in Week 9 as they stunned
the New Orleans Saints 26-20. Chris Ivory was the star against the Saints,
rushing for 139 yards with a touchdown as the Jets running game helped keep
Drew Brees off t he field. The
Jets would go into their bye week with a record of 5-4, but the next three games
saw Geno Smith play terrible football, as fans called for him to be benched,
especially after the Jets managed to score just three points in consecutive
losses to the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. The Jets would finally get back on track with a 37-27 win
over the Oakland Raiders, as Geno Smith silenced some of the critics by passing
for 219 yards with a touchdown and rushing for 50 yards with another
touchdown. However, a week later,
Geno Smith and the Jets would take another step back as their playoff hopes
were extinguished in a 30-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Jets would go on to finish the
season strong beating the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins to finish the
season with a record of 8-8. In the win over the Browns, Coach Rex Ryan was
given a standing ovation, while their season ending win over the Dolphins
served to knock their rivals out of the playoffs. Geno Smith had an up and down
season, passing for 3,046 yards but with 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. However, the Jets best rookie was
Sheldon Richardson, who won Defensive Rookie of the Year making 78 tackles, a
pass defended, a forced fumble, 3.5 sacks, and 2 rushing touchdowns.
2014: Coming off a year in
which they overachieved and posted an 8-8 record the New York Jets hoped they
could return to the playoffs as the season began. One big strength was their
defensive line led by reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Sheldon Richardson
and Marcus Wilkerson. However, in order to move forward the Jets need vast
improvement from Quarterback Geno Smith who struggled in his rookie season.
Smith was good enough in the opener completing 23 of 28 passes for221 yards
with a touchdown and interception to help the Jets start the season with a
19-14 win over the Oakland Raiders, as Chris Ivory's 71 yard Touchdown run
proved to be the difference. In Week 2 the Jets jumped out to a quick start
against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, leading 21-3 in the second
quarter. The Packers stormed back to take a 31-24 lead at the end of the third
quarter. With a chance to even the score, Geno Smith connected with Jeremy
Kerley on a 37 yard touchdown pass with five minutes left. However, the play
would not count as assistant coach Marty Mornhinweg called for a time out. The
Packers would hold on to win the game 31-24. The Jets would drop their next two
games at home against the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions as injuries to the
secondary began to take their toll. Things would only get uglier for Gang Green
in Week 5, as they were blanked by the San Diego Chargers 31-0. Geno Smith was
beyond awful completing just 4-of-12 passes with an interception before being
benched in favor of Michael Vick. After the game it was learned that Geno Smith
missed a key team meeting, while going to the movies. Despite fans objection
Geno Smith would remain the starter. Facing the Denver Broncos, Smith was
having a good game until Aqib Talib sealed the Broncos 31-17 win with a 22 yard
interception return with 15 seconds left. Geno Smith was also solid four days later
in Foxboro, as the Jets gave the New England Patriots all they could handle on
Thursday Night Football. The only failure for Smith and the Jets was the
ability to finish drives and they had to settle for four Field Goals by Nick
Folk in the first half. New York would take a brief 19-17 lead in the third
quarter on a touchdown run by Chris Ivory. The Patriots would battle back with
a touchdown and field goal and held a 27-19 lead in the fourth quarter when
Geno Smith connected with Jeff Cumberland on a ten yard touchdown pass with
2:31 left. The Jets were just two points away from tying the score, but were
unable to complete the two point try and dropped to 1-6 with a 27-25 loss.
Following the loss the Jets would attempt to improve their offense landing Percy
Harvin in a surprise trade with the Seattle Seahawks. The deal would not help,
as Geno Smith unraveled in Week 8, throwing three interceptions while being
showered with a chorus of boos in the first quarter against the Bills at Met
Life Stadium. Michael Vick would take over and did not fare much better, losing
43-23 for the Jets seventh straight loss. Vick got the start in Week 9, but the
Jets could not do any better, losing 24-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs as
frustrated Jets fans hired a plane to carry a banner calling for the firing of
General Manager John Idzik during the team's practices. The Jets would get back
in the win column finally in Week 10, as they upset the Pittsburgh Steelers
20-13, thanks to a 17 point first quarter highlighted by Michael Vick's 67 yard
TD pass to T.J. Graham, during the game Michael Vick set a personal milestone
becoming the first quarterback to rush for over 6,000 yards. Following the bye
week, Geno Smith would return to the field after Vick suffered an injury during
an ugly 38-3 loss to the Bills on the road. However, Geno Smith continued his
poor play, passing for 65 yards in an ugly 16-13 Monday Night loss to the Miami
Dolphins. Smith would play better in the last four games, as the Jets won twice
and played two close games, including a 17-16 loss to the Patriots. In the
finale Geno Smith passed for 353 yards, with three scores to beat the Dolphins
37-24 in what would be Rex Ryan's final game as coach as the Jets had a
complete house cleaning, including dismissing GM John Idzik following the 4-12
season.
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