1968 New York Jets season
The 1968 New York Jets season was the ninth season for the team in the American Football League. The team had the most successful season in franchise history. Trying to improve upon their 8–5–1 record of 1967, they won the AFL Eastern Division with an 11–3 record. They defeated the defending champion Oakland Raiders in the AFL championship game, and earned the right to play in Super Bowl III against the NFL champion Baltimore Colts. In a stunning upset, marked by fourth-year quarterback Joe Namath's famous "guarantee" of victory, the Jets defeated the heavily favored Colts 16–7. The Jets have yet to return to the Super Bowl and makes them along with the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the only teams to have been to just one Super Bowl and win it.
On April 2, 2007, NFL Network aired, the 1968 New York Jets, with team commentary from Joe Namath, Gerry Philbin and Don Maynard, and narrated by Alec Baldwin.
Offseason
On May 21, Sonny Werblin sold his shares in the Jets to his partners Don Lillis, Leon Hess, Townsend Martin, and Phil Isselin. Lillis became the president on May 21, but died on July 23, and Isselin was appointed president on August 6.Draft
Personnel
Staff/Coaches
Roster
Pre season
Preseason
Schedule
Regular season
Regular season schedule
Results
Played at Legion Field, Birmingham since Boston Red Sox refused to rent Fenway Park to Patriots.Standings
Game summary
Week 1: Bye Week
Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 3: at Boston Patriots
Week 4: at Buffalo Bills
This game, won by the Buffalo Bills at the old War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo was the only win for the Bills all season. A win over the eventual Super Bowl champions.Week 5: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week 6: vs. Denver Broncos
Week 7: at Houston Oilers
Week 8: vs. Boston Patriots
Week 9: vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 10: vs. Houston Oilers
Week 11 at Raiders
The 1968 season also saw the Jets involved in one of the most notorious incidents in television history, an incident that would change the way television networks carried sporting events for decades to come. On November 17, 1968, just before 7:00 pm Eastern time, the Jets scored late to take a 32–29 lead over the Oakland Raiders with 1:05 left. NBC cut to a commercial, and then everywhere but the West Coast showed the movie Heidi, a show which NBC had promoted extensively for the sweeps period. Outraged fans bombarded NBC headquarters in New York with phone calls demanding the game be restored; so many phone calls were made that they eventually knocked out the NBC switchboard. Even though a decision was made to carry the game to conclusion, this decision could not be communicated, thus resulting in the movie starting on schedule.Fans' ire was further fueled when they discovered that NBC's cutting away from the game denied them from seeing live a dramatic finish. On the Raiders' second play from scrimmage on the next drive, Daryle Lamonica threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Smith, giving the Raiders a 36–32 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Earl Christy of the Jets fumbled at the 10-yard line, which the Raiders' Preston Ridlehuber converted into another touchdown, ultimately giving the Raiders a 43–32 victory. Much of the country learned of this final outcome only via a bottom-of-screen crawl line shown during the movie. This incident, dubbed the Heidi Game, resulted in most television networks and sports leagues amending their television policies to ensure that games in progress would be broadcast to their conclusion, no matter what, even if it meant delaying or canceling the rest of the network's lineup, and even if the game's outcome seemed assured.
Week 12: at San Diego Chargers
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 15: at Miami Dolphins
Postseason
- On December 29, Weeb Ewbank became the first coach to win titles in the National Football League and in the American Football League. His former team, the Baltimore Colts won the 1968 NFL Championship on December 29 as well. The Colts defeated the Cleveland Browns by a score of 34–0.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Game Recap |
| W 27–23 | 1–0 | ||||||
| W 16–7 | 2–0 |
AFL Championship
Super Bowl III
The Guarantee
In January 1969, the Jets would reach the pinnacle of their existence and provide the moment that would indicate the AFL's coming of age. Under Namath's guidance, the Jets rose to the top of the AFL, defeating the Oakland Raiders in a thrilling AFL championship game, 27–23. The win qualified them to represent their league in a game that was being referred to for the first time as the Super Bowl. They were pitted against the champions of the NFL, the Baltimore Colts. At the time, the AFL was considered to be inferior to the NFL, and most considered the Jets to be considerable underdogs and treated them as such. That would change three nights before the game while Namath was being honored by the Miami Touchdown Club as its Player of the Year. Namath took exception to a heckling Colts fan and used that moment to lament the lack of respect his team had gotten to that point. He then said "The Jets will win Sunday. I guarantee it." His audacious remark proved correct, as the Jets created one of the greatest upsets in football history by defeating the Colts 16–7. This victory showed that the AFL was capable of competing with the NFL.Scoring summary
Game Officials
Regular season Game Officials
Post season
Media
Stats
PassingRushing
Receiving
Kicking
Punting
Kick Return
Punt Return
Defense & Fumbles
Scoring Summary
Team
Quarter-by-quarter
Pop Culture
In the 2017 song Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled, Rihanna makes a reference to the '68 Jets.Awards and honors
- Joe Namath, AFL MVP
- Joe Namath, UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
- Joe Namath, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player