1969: Jets Intercept 6 Passes, Defeat Oilers to Clinch AFL Eastern Division Title

The New York Jets were looking to lock up a second straight AFL Eastern Division title as they faced the Houston Oilers on December 6, 1969. A year after Head Coach Weeb Ewbank’s team had not only won the AFL Championship but stunned the Baltimore Colts, champions of the NFL, in Super Bowl III, the Jets still boasted a formidable offense that featured the passing of QB Joe Namath (pictured above) to wide receivers Don Maynard and George Sauer and the running of FB Matt Snell and HB Emerson Boozer. While there were concerns about the defensive backfield, the line and linebackers were solid. The Jets had an 8-4 record, having lost to the Raiders the previous week.

Houston, coached by Wally Lemm, was 5-5-2 and in second place in the mediocre Eastern Division. The Oilers were known for a tough defense that featured DE Elvin Bethea, OLB George Webster, MLB Garland Boyette, cornerbacks Miller Farr and Zeke Moore, and FS Ken Houston.  The offense was not so formidable and was without starting FB Hoyle Granger and QB Pete Beathard, who suffered a foot injury in the previous game and was a late scratch, to be replaced by backup Don Trull.

There were 51,923 fans in attendance for the Saturday game at the Astrodome. The tone was set on the first play from scrimmage when Don Trull of the Oilers threw a pass that was intercepted by CB Cornell Gordon, who returned it 20 yards to the Houston seven. Three plays later, Emerson Boozer ran two yards up the middle for a touchdown. Jim Turner added the extra point and the visitors had a quick 7-0 advantage.

Things got worse for the Oilers when, facing third-and-11 from their own 26, Trull fumbled and DE Verlon Biggs recovered for the Jets. Joe Namath went to the air on first down and connected with George Sauer for a 21-yard TD. Turner again converted and, with only 3:32 elapsed, New York held a 14-0 lead.

In response, the Oilers moved effectively on their ensuing possession. FB Roy Hopkins and HB Woody Campbell handled the ball carrying effectively although the first time Trull faded back to pass he was sacked by DT John Elliott. But facing third-and-12, Trull threw to WR Jerry LeVias for 18 yards and, after two runs by Campbell gained seven yards, he connected with TE Alvin Reed (pictured at left) for 15 yards on a third-and-three play. Another third down was converted when the Jets were flagged for pass interference but the drive finally stalled at the New York 17 and Houston turned the ball over on downs.

The teams traded punts as the game moved into the second quarter. Midway through the period, another Trull pass was picked off, this time by DE Gerry Philbin who returned it 15 yards to the Houston three. Matt Snell lost three yards on first down, but Namath then threw to HB Bill Mathis for a six-yard touchdown. Turner added the point after and the Jets were up by a comfortable 21-0.

Bob Davis, who had only recently been activated from the taxi squad, was at quarterback when the Oilers returned on offense, but after completing two passes, the second to LeVias for 22 yards, he gave up an interception to LB Paul Crane. This time the visitors were unable to take advantage of the turnover and had to punt. Houston put together a 58-yard scoring drive as Davis completed five passes, three to Reed and two to LeVias, the second of which resulted in a 20-yard TD. Roy Gerela added the extra point.

The Oilers got a break when, on the second play of New York’s next series, WR Bake Turner fumbled while running on an end-around and DT Carel Stith recovered at the New York 22. Davis completed a pass to LeVias for 10 yards, but an illegal motion penalty backed Houston up and the home team ended up settling for a 24-yard Gerela field goal that made the halftime score 21-10.

The Jets had the first possession of the third quarter, punted, and got the ball back a few plays later when CB John Dockery intercepted a Davis pass and returned it 35 yards to the Houston five. The Oilers were able to keep the Jets out of the end zone, but the visitors came away with a 10-yard field goal by Turner that extended their lead to 14 points.

LeVias returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards and the Jets were penalized 15 yards for a personal foul on top of it, but on the next play Davis fumbled when sacked by Biggs and New York had the ball back at the Houston 47. Runs by Boozer and Mathis picked up 18 yards before Jim Turner came on to kick a 38-yard field goal that put the Jets ahead by 27-10.

Davis was sacked twice by Biggs on the next possession and the Oilers had to punt from deep in their own territory. As the game moved into the fourth quarter, the Jets advanced to the Houston three, but this time they came up empty when Turner missed a short field goal attempt. It didn’t matter as, two plays later, Davis gave up another interception, this time with LB Ralph Baker (pictured at right) doing the honors. Veteran QB Babe Parilli was now spelling Namath and threw to Boozer for a gain of 29 yards. Snell scored from three yards out shortly thereafter and, with Turner again converting, the Jets had a commanding 34-10 lead.

The next two Houston possessions resulted in turnovers, by a fumble and yet another interception, the second by Dockery. But now New York turned the ball over on a fumble by FB Lee White and safety Johnny Peacock recovered and ran 27 yards for a touchdown. HB Mike Richardson scored for a two-point conversion that made it a 34-18 contest with a little over five minutes to play.

The Jets recovered the ensuing onside kick but went three-and-out and punted. Houston drove 80 yards in 10 plays. Davis completed eight passes along the way and ran once for four yards. His last pass was to HB Rich Johnson for a one-yard TD and another toss to WR Jim Beirne added another two-point conversion. It was now an eight-point game and this time the Oilers succeeded on recovering the onside kick, but there were only 32 seconds remaining on the clock. Davis missed on four passes and New York came away with a 34-26 win.  

As a side note, the attention of the crowd was split between the game before them, during which they often booed the Oilers, and the major collegiate game between Texas and Arkansas that many of them were listening to via radio, causing cheers at odd moments.

Houston led in total yards (220 to 213) and in first downs (18 to 12), which was deceptive since the Oilers were playing from behind virtually the entire game. More significantly, they turned the ball over a crippling nine times, six of them by interceptions, which set a club record for the Jets. New York also recorded nine sacks, to none by Houston. The Jets suffered four turnovers.

Joe Namath had a relatively run-of-the-mill performance, completing 6 of 16 passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns with none intercepted. Emerson Boozer rushed for 57 yards on 11 carries that included a TD and caught a pass for another 29 yards. Matt Snell contributed 38 yards on his 14 rushing attempts that also included a score. George Sauer topped New York’s receivers with just three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown.

For the Oilers, Don Trull was three-of-nine for 37 yards with two interceptions before being relieved by Bob Davis, who was successful on 20 of 35 throws for 192 yards and two TDs, but with four interceptions. Jerry LeVias (pictured at left) and Alvin Reed caught 9 passes apiece, for 110 and 86 yards, respectively, and LeVias scored a touchdown. Roy Hopkins led the club in rushing with 30 yards on 9 carries.

The Jets defeated Miami in the season finale to finish with a 10-4 record and, in the revamped playoff format that the AFL used in its last season prior to the merger with the NFL, they faced the second-place team in the Western Division, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the first round. The Chiefs won to end New York’s hopes of repeating as AFL Champions. The Oilers won their last game to finish second in the division at 6-6-2 and were swamped by the Oakland Raiders, the Western Division’s top finisher, in their first round playoff game.

The relief performance against New York was the most significant action for third-year QB Bob Davis in 1969. Used sparingly in his first three seasons with Houston, he moved on to the Jets the following year and saw his most significant NFL action with them before moving on to New Orleans and then the World Football League.

Highlighted Year: Emerson Boozer, 1967

Halfback, New York Jets

Age: 24

2^nd season in pro football & with Jets

College: Maryland State College (now Maryland Eastern Shore)

Height: 5’11” Weight: 207

Prelude:

Boozer rushed for 2537 yards and 22 touchdowns in college, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He was chosen by the Jets in the sixth round of the 1966 AFL draft (the Pittsburgh Steelers took him in the seventh round of the NFL draft) and, brought along slowly by Head Coach Weeb Ewbank and nagged early on by a foot injury, rushed for 455 yards on 97 carries (4.7 avg.). With his speed and outstanding balance, he proved to be a much-needed outside runner to complement FB Matt Snell and was chosen to the AFL All-Star Game. He got off to a sensational start in 1967 before being felled by a knee injury in the season’s eighth game.

1967 Season Summary

Appeared in 8 of 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 119 [9]

Most attempts, game – 18 (for 44 yds.) at Denver 9/24, (for 98 yds.) vs. Oakland 10/7, (for 65 yds.) vs. Houston 10/15

Yards – 442 [11]

Most yards, game – 98 yards (on 18 carries) vs. Oakland 10/7

Average gain – 3.7 [12]

TDs – 10 [1]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 12

Most receptions, game – 5 (for 109 yds.) vs. Miami 10/1

Yards – 205

Most yards, game – 109 (on 5 catches) vs. Miami 10/1

Average gain – 17.1

TDs – 3 [18, tied with seven others]

100-yard receiving games – 1

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 11 [17, tied with Bobby Leo]

Yards – 213 [19]

Most yards, game – 74 (on 4 ret.) vs. Houston 10/15

Average per return – 19.4

TDs – 0

Longest return – 28 yards

Scoring

TDs – 13 [1]

Points – 78 [6]

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-AFL: Sporting News

Jets went 8-5-1 to finish second in the AFL Eastern Division while leading the league in total yards (5152) and passing yards (3845).

Aftermath:

Injuries would remain a chronic problem for Boozer. In 1968, after a slow start he came back to rush for 441 yards and gain AFL All-Star Game honors as the Jets won the AFL Championship. He played a total of ten seasons, all with the Jets, performing well when healthy and co-leading the NFL in touchdowns with 14 in 1972. Boozer, who became a capable blocker, had a high of 831 rushing yards in ’73 despite diminished speed. Overall, he rushed for a then-franchise record 5135 yards on 1291 carries (4.0 avg.) and caught 139 passes for 1488 yards (10.7 avg.), scoring a total of 65 TDs. Boozer was inducted into the Maryland Eastern Shore Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.

--

Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1969: Jets Run for 210 Yards to Defeat Patriots

The New York Jets had won the 1968 AFL Championship and stunned the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III and were 4-2 as they hosted the Boston Patriots on October 26, 1969. Coached for the seventh year by Weeb Ewbank, the Jets were known primarily for their passing offense, and that centered around star QB Joe Namath and the outstanding wide receivers Don Maynard and George Sauer. With HB Emerson Boozer and FB Matt Snell (pictured above), they could run the ball, too. On defense they were sound on the line and at linebacker, but there were concerns about the defensive backfield.

Boston was 0-6 and had already lost to the Jets at home. Their first-year head coach was Clive Rush, a former New York assistant, and another ex-Jet was the starting quarterback, Mike Taliaferro. There were promising young players such as HB Carl Garrett and G Mike Montler, but the defense was missing star MLB Nick Buoniconti, dealt away to Miami. However, the strong suit was the defensive backfield, and the Patriots hoped to disrupt New York’s passing attack.

It was a sunny and pleasant day at Shea Stadium with 62,298 fans in attendance. The Patriots had the first possession and drove 82 yards in seven plays. QB Mike Taliaferro had completions of 16 yards to WR Charley Frazier and 19 yards to Carl Garrett and connected with WR Bill Rademacher, yet another ex-Jet, in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown. Gino Cappelletti added the extra point.

New York put together a scoring drive in response. Joe Namath had a completion to George Sauer, but it was Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer carrying the load and Snell ran 12 yards for a TD. Jim Turner’s extra point tied the score at 7-7.

Boston came right back with a 74-yard series. FB Jim Nance had a 16-yard run up the middle and, on a third-and-nine play, Taliaferro threw to Rademacher for 17 yards to the New York 40. The series finally ended with a Cappelletti field goal from 39 yards and the visitors took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter.

The Jets continued to keep the ball on the ground, although Namath did find Don Maynard open for a 20-yard gain at one point. The drive stalled at the Boston 30 and Turner once again knotted the score with a 38-yard field goal.

The Patriots had to punt following their next series, but made a big play on defense when safety John Charles intercepted a Namath pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Cappelletti converted and the visitors were again in the lead by 17-10.

A short series by the Jets that ended in a punt led to Taliaferro being intercepted by CB Randy Beverly, who returned it to the Boston 33. However, Snell fumbled the ball back two plays later. The Patriots were forced to punt and New York advanced into Boston territory, but with time running out in the first half, Turner missed a 37-yard field goal attempt and the score remained unchanged at halftime.

On the third play following the second half kickoff, the visitors got a break when Boozer fumbled and DT Ray Jacobs recovered for the Patriots. The turnover led to a field goal try by Cappelletti, but he was unsuccessful from 49 yards. The Jets reached midfield on their next possession, helped along by a Namath pass to Sauer that picked up 25 yards, but had to punt. However, they pinned the Patriots deep in their territory and, when forced to punt in turn, Janik’s kick traveled only 29 yards to give the Jets good field position at the Boston 41.

In a series in which Snell ran four times for 16 yards, the Jets put points on the board with a 32-yard Turner field goal that narrowed Boston’s lead to 17-13. The Patriots again had to punt and, in a possession that extended into the fourth quarter, the Jets drove to another score. On a third-and-ten play, Namath, finding his receivers covered, uncharacteristically scrambled for 16 yards and New York picked up another 15 yards on a personal foul by the Patriots. Now at the Boston 47, the Jets pounded down the field and Boozer scored a touchdown from two yards out. Turner added the extra point and New York was ahead by 20-17.

On the next series, Taliaferro fumbled when hit attempting to pass and DT John Elliott recovered at the Boston 31. The Jets kept the ball on the ground with Snell and Boozer carrying and added to the lead when Turner kicked a 13-yard field goal. With time winding down, the Patriots went three-and-out on their next series and punted. New York was able to run out the last two minutes and won by a final score of 23-17.

The Jets had more total yards (318 to 211), with only 108 through the air but 210 on the ground, and also had the lead in first downs (21 to 10). New York was hurt by three turnovers, to two by the Patriots, but of the seven penalties called during the game, six were on Boston.

Matt Snell rushed for 109 yards on 23 carries and Emerson Boozer contributed 67 yards on 15 attempts, with each scoring a touchdown. Joe Namath completed 10 of 21 passes for 115 yards and no touchdowns while giving up one interception. George Sauer had four catches for 58 yards to top the Jets.

For the Patriots, Mike Taliaferro (pictured below) was successful on 12 of 24 throws for 139 yards and a TD with one interception. Jim Nance rushed for 58 yards on 11 carries and Carl Garrett added 20 on 8 attempts and also had four pass receptions for 40 yards. Bill Rademacher was the top receiver with 6 catches for 78 yards and a TD.

The Jets cruised to first place in the Eastern Division with a 10-4 record but, in the expanded playoff format used in the AFL’s last year before merging with the NFL, they lost in the Divisional round to the Chiefs, second-place finishers in the Western Division. Boston won for the first time the following week against the Oilers, the first of four wins in five games, and ended up tied for third in the division with Buffalo at 4-10.

The combination of Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer continued to be productive over the course of the season. Snell rushed for 695 yards on 191 carries (3.6 avg.) and was a consensus first-team All-AFL selection as well as AFL All-Star. Boozer had 604 yards on 130 attempts (4.6 avg.) and gained more yardage as a receiver (222 on 20 receptions to 187 on 22 catches for Snell).

Mike Taliaferro had his most productive pro season, throwing for 2160 yards and 19 touchdowns, which tied Namath for second in the league. He was also named to the AFL All-Star game. Bill Rademacher’s performance against the Jets was the best of his career. A backup who caught just three passes during five years with New York, he had 17 receptions for 217 yards (12.8 avg.) and three TDs in ’69.

1970: Browns Defeat Jets in Monday Night Debut

Pro football on Monday nights was not unprecedented, but as a regularly-scheduled weekly television series, which it became in 1970, it was an innovation. The American Broadcasting Company promoted the concept vigorously and provided resources for covering the games that the other networks typically used only for playoff contests. An entertaining trio of announcers Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson, and ex-Cowboys QB Don Meredith added to the showcase.

The first week’s contest on September 21, 1970 pitted the Cleveland Browns, an established NFL team that had been shifted to the American Football Conference as part of the merger (thus being aligned with former American Football League teams), against the New York Jets, champions of the AFL two years earlier.

The Browns were coached by Blanton Collier for the eighth season and had advanced to the last two NFL Championship games. It was anticipated that, with recent success and grouped with three mediocre teams in the new Central Division of the AFC, that the Browns would contend. They had traded away star WR Paul Warfield to Miami in order to draft QB Mike Phipps out of Purdue, but veteran Bill Nelsen was still the starting quarterback. HB Leroy Kelly remained a major cog in the offense and they also had WR Gary Collins and TE Milt Morin. The team’s biggest questions pertained to the reshuffled defense.

New York, coached by Weeb Ewbank, had followed up the 1968 Super Bowl season with a division-topping 10-4 record in ’69. Now in the AFC East, they continued to rely on QB Joe Namath passing to a good group of receivers led by Don Maynard and George Sauer and the running game featured FB Matt Snell and HB Emerson Boozer. The defense was good up front but questionable in the secondary.

It was a clear night at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland with a stadium-record 85,703 fans in attendance and an estimated 35 million watching the telecast. The Jets punted following the first series of the game and Cleveland drove 55 yards in nine plays. Bill Nelsen had completions to Milt Morin for 13 yards and to FB Bo Scott for 21 and a third-down pass to Gary Collins was good for an eight-yard touchdown. Don Cockroft added the extra point.

The Jets reached midfield on their next possession but again had to punt. Starting at their 16, the Browns drove to another score, going 84 yards in 11 plays. Leroy Kelly ran effectively and a pass interference call on a third-and-eight play kept the drive alive. In New York territory, Nelsen threw to Morin for 18 yards and to Scott for 15 and it was Scott running around end for the last two yards and a TD. Cockroft added the extra point and Cleveland carried a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.

The Jets, relying primarily on runs by Emerson Boozer and Matt Snell, put together an eight-play, 61-yard series that resulted in Boozer plowing into the center of the line for a two-yard touchdown. Jim Turner converted and Cleveland’s lead was cut to 14-7.

Nelsen completed a pass to Morin for 25 yards on the next series but the Browns ended up having to punt. The Jets also moved well, with Namath completing back-to-back passes to George Sauer (pictured at left) for 17 and 40 yards, but after reaching the Cleveland 17 Namath again looked to Sauer but was picked off by CB Walt Sumner, who returned it 34 yards. Following another Cleveland punt, another New York drive into Browns territory ended with Namath being intercepted once more, and the score remained unchanged at the half.

The Browns started off the third quarter with WR Homer Jones taking the second half kickoff and returning it 94 yards for a touchdown and, with Cockroft’s PAT, a 21-7 lead. In response, Namath came out throwing and immediately connected with Don Maynard for 20 yards and Sauer for 16 to reach the Cleveland 44. Another pass to Sauer picked up 13 yards and then Snell and Boozer accumulated another 13 yards between them on the ground. Namath found Sauer once again for an additional 13 yards and, two plays later, Boozer raced 10 yards through the middle for a TD to complete the 10-play, 80-yard drive. Turner converted and it was once more a seven-point contest.

The Browns started their next series with favorable field position at their own 47 after a good kickoff return with a penalty tacked on. They advanced 47 yards in six plays and Cockroft kicked a 27-yard field goal. In their next series, the running of Snell and Boozer moved the Jets back into Cleveland territory, and Namath also completed two short passes. However, the drive stalled at the 42 and Turner’s 50-yard field goal attempt fell short.

The Browns punted on the final play of the third quarter and New York again threatened to score. Snell ran for 19 yards on the first play of the series and, after five more running plays, a pass interference call on CB Erich Barnes put the ball on the Cleveland seven. But on the next play, Snell fumbled and DE Jack Gregory recovered to end the threat. The Browns responded with a long six-minute drive. Nelsen completed three passes, the longest to Morin for 22 yards, and Scott had a 17-yard run. But Cockroft missed to the right on an 18-yard field goal try.

The Jets took over from their 20 with 5:40 remaining on the clock and, with Namath throwing on every down, they quickly moved 80 yards in four plays. Completions to Boozer, WR Rich Caster, and Sauer picked up 14, 19, and 14 yards, respectively, and a throw to Sauer was good for a 33-yard touchdown. Turner’s conversion put the visitors just three points behind at 24-21.

The time was running down to two minutes as the Browns went three-and-out on their next possession, but Cockroft’s 65-yard punt had to be chased by DB Mike Battle, who failed to catch the ball at the 30 and downed it at the New York four. Four plays later, Namath’s pass was intercepted by LB Bill Andrews, who returned it 25 yards for a clinching touchdown. Cockroft again converted and Cleveland came away the winner by a final score of 31-21.

The Jets dominated in total yards (454 to 221) and first downs (31 to 20). However, they also turned the ball over four times, to none suffered by Cleveland, and were penalized 13 times at a cost of 161 yards, to 8 flags thrown on the Browns.

Bill Nelsen completed 12 of 27 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown with none intercepted. Milt Morin (pictured at right) had 5 catches for 90 yards and Leroy Kelly rushed for 62 yards on 20 carries.

For the Jets, Joe Namath was successful on 18 of 31 throws for 298 yards and a TD, but gave up three interceptions, including the last one that led directly to the game-clinching score. George Sauer caught 10 of those passes for 172 yards and a touchdown and Don Maynard gained 69 yards on his four receptions. Matt Snell topped the ground game as he rushed for 108 yards on 16 attempts and Emerson Boozer contributed 58 yards on 15 carries that included two TDs.

Following the exciting opening contest, neither team ended up meeting expectations over the course of the season. The Browns reached 4-2 before losing five of their last eight contests and ending up at 7-7 and in second place behind the third-year Cincinnati Bengals. Leroy Kelly’s performance dropped off due to an ankle injury and Homer Jones failed to fill the shoes of the departed Warfield (his kickoff return TD against the Jets was the highlight of his season). The Jets won their second game but proceeded to lose six straight on the way to a 4-10 record. Injuries were the key to New York’s collapse, with Joe Namath suffering a broken wrist and Matt Snell a torn Achilles tendon that sidelined them for most of the season.

Pro football on Monday nights did not disappoint, however, and the program maintained consistently strong ratings in its first year and well beyond. 

1974: Jets Defeat Giants in Overtime After Namath Runs for Tying TD

Any game between New York City’s two NFL teams can’t help but generate interest, no matter how the clubs rank in the standings. The NFL-AFL merger in 1970 had made possible regular season play between the long-established Giants and the comparative newcomers from the rival league, the Jets. On November 10, 1974 the two clubs met for the second time at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut - the temporary home of the Giants, with Yankee Stadium under renovation and the new stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands still two years from completion (they shifted to Shea Stadium for ’75).

The Giants were under a first-year head coach, Bill Arnsparger, and had finished with a winning record just twice in the previous ten years. The situation was no better in ’74 as they came into the contest with the Jets at 2-6. However, they had made a major switch at quarterback two weeks before, dealing away underperforming veteran Norm Snead to the 49ers while trading a first draft choice to the Dallas Cowboys for Craig Morton. Morton, once a promising starter in Dallas who had lost out to Roger Staubach, played well in a win at Kansas City in the Giants’ previous game. Snead, Carl Summerell, and Jim Del Gaizo had failed to throw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver in six games, but Morton managed to do that much in his second game with the club.

The Jets had a new head coach as well in Charley Winner, designated successor to the retired Weeb Ewbank, but there was no question at quarterback for the Jets, as long as Joe Namath (pictured above) was healthy enough to play – even if he and the club were off to a poor start. The Jets had been 4-10 in ’73, with Namath missing most of the season, and were 1-7 thus far in 1974 while Broadway Joe had been intercepted 17 times.

There were 67,740 fans at the Yale Bowl for the battle of the New York teams. The Jets started off the scoring in the first quarter as Namath connected with WR David Knight for a 19-yard touchdown. Pete Gogolak kicked a 26-yard field goal for the Giants later in the period, and the older club took the lead in the second quarter when Morton threw a two-yard TD pass to TE Bob Tucker.

Pat Leahy, in his first NFL game with the Jets following an injury to Bobby Howfield, booted a 34-yard field goal to tie the score, but it was 13-10 in favor of the Giants at the half after Gogolak kicked a second field goal of 22 yards.

The Jets launched the third quarter with a drive that used up the first ten minutes and ended with a 22-yard field goal by Leahy. In their next possession, the Giants struck quickly with Morton throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to WR Bob Grim, and maintained a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Jets put together another long possession, using 14 plays to drive down to the Giants’ three yard line. With a third-and-goal situation, Namath tied the score with a three-yard touchdown run (more accurately, a hobble) that surprised everyone, including his teammates. Originally, the play was to be a handoff to HB Emerson Boozer, but Namath saw the Giants’ weak-side LB, Brad Van Pelt, move inside and decided to keep the ball. With Leahy’s extra point, the game was tied at 20-20.

The Jets had an opportunity to win in regulation, but with 12 seconds left Leahy’s 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked by CB Jim Stienke.

1974 was the first season in which regular-season games ending in a tie went into an overtime period. The Giants won the toss and RB Joe Dawkins returned the kickoff 53 yards to give them good field position. They drove to the Jets’ 25 but, after coming up a yard short on a third-and-three play, Gogolak missed the resulting 42-yard field goal attempt.

Starting from his own 25, Namath completed consecutive passes of 42 yards to TE Rich Caster and 12 yards to WR Jerome Barkum. From the Giants’ 21, Boozer ran for back-to-back six yard runs and then RB Jazz Jackson took a pitchout for four yards to the five. From there, Namath lobbed a pass to Boozer, who had beaten Van Pelt, in the left corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown at 6:53 in overtime. The final score was 26-20.


The Jets outgained the Giants (425 yards to 340) and had the edge in first downs (27 to 22). There were no turnovers and game had few penalties – the Jets were flagged twice for a total of 15 yards, and the Giants just once for five yards.

Joe Namath completed 20 of 31 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. RB Bob Burns, who played only one season and gained a total of 158 yards on the ground, had the best game of his brief career filling in for the injured FB John Riggins with 101 yards on 21 attempts. Emerson Boozer (pictured above left) added 58 yards on 13 carries and had four pass receptions for 43 yards and the game-winning TD. Jerome Barkum caught 5 passes for 24 yards, while Rich Caster gained the most yards receiving with 68 on three catches.

Craig Morton had a solid outing for the Giants in defeat, with numbers that were almost identical to Namath’s – 21 of 32 passes completed for 237 yards with two TDs and none picked off. Joe Dawkins led the club in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries and caught 6 passes for 37 yards. WR Walker Gillette gained 83 yards on his five receptions.

“It was a great victory for us when we really needed one,” said Namath afterward. “Emotionally, it has to rank with the Oakland game in 1968 when we won the AFL title, it was a big game for us. You lose one to the other guys in town and you have to take a lot of heat from a lot of people.”

Of the decision to keep the ball on the game-tying touchdown run rather than hand off, Broadway Joe added, “I didn’t tell Boozer, I didn’t tell anybody. The fake always works better that way.” Said Boozer, “I didn’t know what to think. When I didn’t get the ball, I thought fumble.”

Since the first regular season game to go into overtime (between Denver and Pittsburgh) ended in a tie, the Jets became the first NFL team to win a regular season overtime game. It also gave the club a big lift as it proved to be the first of six straight wins (following six consecutive losses) to end the season. The Jets finished at 7-7 and tied with the Patriots for third in the AFC East. The Giants lost the remainder of their games to end up at 2-12 and at the bottom of the NFC East.

Joe Namath’s statistics improved along with the team’s fortunes. While he still ended up leading the NFL by throwing 22 interceptions, only five of those came during the season-ending winning streak. His 2616 passing yards and 20 touchdowns both ranked second in the NFL, as did his 361 attempts.


Craig Morton (pictured at left) threw for 1510 yards in eight games for the Giants with 9 TD passes and 13 interceptions. His 29.6 pass attempts per game ranked second in the NFL and his averages of 188.8 yards and 15.3 completions ranked third. But taking over in the midst of the season and with a mediocre supporting cast, the resulting record in his starts was 1-6.

The new placekicker, Pat Leahy, made the most of his opportunity with the Jets. He ended up playing for them through 1991, a total of 18 seasons, and ended up as the franchise leader in points (1470) and field goals (304).