Jets-Patriots rivalry

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New York Jets–New England Patriots
Regular Season History
First Meeting	September 17, 1960
First Result	BOS 28, NYT 24
Last Meeting	December 16, 2007
Last Result	NE 20, NYJ 10
Next Meeting	September 14, 2008
Rivalry status	97 meetings[1]
Largest victory	NE 56, NYJ 3 (1979)
Smallest victory	NYT 21, BOS 20 (1961) NYJ 27, NE 26 (1979) NE 14, NYJ 13 (1988) NYJ 27, NE 26 (1989) NYJ 20, NE 19 (2000)
Current Streak	Patriots W3 (2007-present)
All-Time Series	Tied 48-48-1
Post Season History
Last Meeting	January 7, 2007
Last Result	NE 37, NYJ 16
All-Time Postseason Series	Patriots lead 2-0
Playoff and Championship Success
AFL Championships (1) Jets (1) – 1968 Patriots (0) – none Super Bowl Championships (4) Jets (1) – 1968 Patriots (3) – 2001, 2003, 2004 Super Bowl Appearances (7) Jets1 (1) – 1968 Patriots2 (6) – 1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007 AFL Eastern Division Championships (3) (1960—1969) Jets (2) – 1968, 1969 Patriots (1) – 1963 AFC East Divisional Championships (12) (1970—present) Jets (2) – 1998, 2002 Patriots (10) – 1978, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 AFC Wild Card Berths (13) (1970—present) Jets (8) – 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1991, 2001, 2004, 2006 Patriots (5) – 1976, 1982, 1985, 1994, 1998 1: The Jets have never won the AFC Championship. 2: The Patriots have never won the AFL Championship.

The New England Patriots-New York Jets rivalry is a rivalry between two franchises in the National Football League. The teams both play in the American Football Conference East Division, and play two scheduled games each season as a result.

Contents 1 Rivalry statistics 2 Game results 2.1 1960s (AFL) 2.2 1970s 2.3 1980s 2.4 1990s 2.5 2000s 3 Notable moments 3.1 October 2, 1966 3.2 December 17, 1966 3.3 October 18, 1976 3.4 November 21, 1976 3.5 October 29, 1978 3.6 September 9, 1979 3.7 October 28, 1984 3.8 December 28, 1985 3.9 October 12, 1986 3.10 1987 season 3.11 November 10, 1996 3.12 Early 1997: Bill Parcells 3.13 1997 season 3.14 Early 1998: Curtis Martin 3.15 1998 season 3.16 1999 season 3.17 Early 2000: Bill Belichick 3.18 2000-5 seasons 3.19 Early 2006: Eric Mangini 3.20 2006 season 3.21 2007 season 4 Connections between the two teams 5 See also 6 Notes and references

[edit] Rivalry statistics

	Patriots wins	Ties	Jets wins	Patriots points	Jets points
Regular season	46	1	48	2,088	2,033
Postseason	2		0	63	30
Total	48	1	48	2,151	2,063

[edit] Game results

The following is a list of results from all of the meetings between the New York Jets/Titans and Boston/New England Patriots from their first meeting on September 17, 1960 to the present:

Post Season Meeting

Tied Game

Overtime Result

[edit] 1960s (AFL)

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
1960	September 17	Boston Patriots	28–24	New York Titans	Polo Grounds
	November 11	Boston Patriots	38–21	New York Titans	Nickerson Field
1961	September 9	New York Titans	21–20	Boston Patriots	Nickerson Field
	October 1	New York Titans	37–30	Boston Patriots	Polo Grounds
1962	October 6	Boston Patriots	43–13	New York Titans	Polo Grounds
	November 30	Boston Patriots	24–17	New York Titans	Nickerson Field
1963	September 8	Boston Patriots	38–14	New York Jets	Fenway Park
	October 5	New York Jets	31–24	Boston Patriots	Polo Grounds
1964	September 27	Boston Patriots	26–10	New York Jets	Fenway Park
	October 31	New York Jets	35–14	Boston Patriots	Shea Stadium
1965	November 14	New York Jets	30–20	Boston Patriots	Fenway Park
	November 28	Boston Patriots	27–23	New York Jets	Shea Stadium
1966	October 2	New York Jets	24–24	Boston Patriots	Fenway Park
	December 17	New York Jets	38–28	Boston Patriots	Shea Stadium
1967	October 29	New York Jets	30–23	Boston Patriots	Shea Stadium
	November 19	New York Jets	29–24	Boston Patriots	Fenway Park
1968	September 22	New York Jets	47–31	Boston Patriots	Legion Field
	October 27	New York Jets	48–14	Boston Patriots	Shea Stadium
1969	October 5	New York Jets	23–14	Boston Patriots	Alumni Stadium
	October 26	New York Jets	23–17	Boston Patriots	Shea Stadium

[edit] 1970s

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
1970	September 27	New York Jets	31–21	Boston Patriots	Harvard Stadium
	November 22	New York Jets	17–3	Boston Patriots	Shea Stadium
1971	October 10	New England Patriots	20–0	New York Jets	Schaefer Stadium
	December 12	New York Jets	13–6	New England Patriots	Shea Stadium
1972	October 15	New York Jets	41–13	New England Patriots	Schaefer Stadium
	October 29	New York Jets	34–10	New England Patriots	Shea Stadium
1973	October 14	New York Jets	9–7	New England Patriots	Schaefer Stadium
	November 11	New York Jets	33–13	New England Patriots	Shea Stadium
1974	October 13	New England Patriots	24–0	New York Jets	Shea Stadium
	November 17	New York Jets	21–16	New England Patriots	Schaefer Stadium
1975	October 5	New York Jets	36–7	New England Patriots	Shea Stadium
	December 7	New York Jets	30–28	New England Patriots	Schaefer Stadium
1976	October 18	New England Patriots	41–7	New York Jets	Schaefer Stadium
	November 21	New England Patriots	38–24	New York Jets	Shea Stadium
1977	October 2	New York Jets	30–27	New England Patriots	Shea Stadium
	October 30	New England Patriots	24–13	New York Jets	Schaefer Stadium
1978	October 29	New England Patriots	55–21	New York Jets	Schaefer Stadium
	November 19	New England Patriots	19–17	New York Jets	Shea Stadium
1979	September 9	New England Patriots	56–3	New York Jets	Schaefer Stadium
	December 9	New York Jets	27–26	New England Patriots	Shea Stadium

[edit] 1980s

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
1980	October 5	New England Patriots	21–11	New York Jets	Shea Stadium
	November 2	New England Patriots	34–21	New York Jets	Schaefer Stadium
1981	October 11	New York Jets	28–24	New England Patriots	Shea Stadium
	November 15	New York Jets	17–6	New England Patriots	Schaefer Stadium
1982[2]	September 19	New York Jets	31–7	New England Patriots	Sullivan Stadium[3]
1983	September 18	New England Patriots	23–13	New York Jets	Sullivan Stadium
	November 27	New York Jets	26–3	New England Patriots	Shea Stadium
1984	September 30	New England Patriots	28–21	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	October 28	New England Patriots	30–20	New York Jets	Sullivan Stadium
1985	October 20	New England Patriots	20–13	New York Jets	Sullivan Stadium
	November 24	New York Jets	16–13 (OT)	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
1985	December 28	New England Patriots	26–14	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
1986	September 11	New England Patriots	20–6	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	October 12	New York Jets	31–24	New England Patriots	Sullivan Stadium
1987	September 21	New York Jets	43–24	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
	December 13	New England Patriots	42–20	New York Jets	Sullivan Stadium
1988	September 4	New England Patriots	28–3	New York Jets	Sullivan Stadium
	November 13	New England Patriots	14–13	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
1989	September 10	New England Patriots	27–24	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	November 5	New York Jets	27–26	New England Patriots	Sullivan Stadium

[edit] 1990s

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
1990	September 30	New York Jets	37–13	New England Patriots	Foxboro Stadium[4]
	December 23	New York Jets	42–7	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
1991	November 17	New York Jets	28–21	New England Patriots	Foxboro Stadium
	December 15	New England Patriots	6–3	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
1992	October 4	New York Jets	30–27	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
	November 22	New England Patriots	24–3	New York Jets	Foxboro Stadium
1993	September 26	New York Jets	45–7	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
	November 28	New York Jets	6–0	New England Patriots	Foxboro Stadium
1994	October 16	New York Jets	24–17	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
	December 4	New England Patriots	24–13	New York Jets	Foxboro Stadium
1995	November 5	New England Patriots	20–7	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	December 10	New England Patriots	31–28	New York Jets	Foxboro Stadium
1996	November 10	New England Patriots	31–27	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	December 8	New England Patriots	34–10	New York Jets	Foxboro Stadium
1997	September 14	New England Patriots	27–24 (OT)	New York Jets	Foxboro Stadium
	October 19	New York Jets	24–19	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
1998	October 19	New York Jets	24–14	New England Patriots	Foxboro Stadium
	December 27	New York Jets	31–10	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
1999	September 12	New England Patriots	30–28	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	November 15	New York Jets	24–17	New England Patriots	Foxboro Stadium

[edit] 2000s

Year	Date	Winner	Result	Loser	Location
2000	September 11	New York Jets	20–19	New England Patriots	Giants Stadium
	October 15	New York Jets	34–17	New England Patriots	Foxboro Stadium
2001	September 23	New York Jets	10–3	New England Patriots	Foxboro Stadium
	December 2	New England Patriots	17–16	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
2002	September 15	New England Patriots	44–7	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	December 22	New York Jets	30–17	New England Patriots	Gillette Stadium
2003	September 21	New England Patriots	23–16	New York Jets	Gillette Stadium
	December 20	New England Patriots	21–16	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
2004	October 24	New England Patriots	13–7	New York Jets	Gillette Stadium
	December 26	New England Patriots	23–7	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
2005	December 4	New England Patriots	16–3	New York Jets	Gillette Stadium
	December 26	New England Patriots	31–21	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
2006	September 17	New England Patriots	24–17	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	November 12	New York Jets	17–14	New England Patriots	Gillette Stadium
2007	January 7	New England Patriots	37–16	New York Jets	Gillette Stadium
2007	September 9	New England Patriots	38–14	New York Jets	Giants Stadium
	December 16	New England Patriots	20–10	New York Jets	Gillette Stadium

[edit] Notable moments

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.(April 2008) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

[edit] October 2, 1966

The then-Boston Patriots tied the Jets 24-24 at Fenway Park, for the only dead-heat in the rivalry's history. The Patriots led 24-7 after three quarters but two Joe Namath touchdowns and a Jim Turner field goal tied the game. It would also be the last time the Patriots did not lose to the Jets until October 1971. ^[5]

[edit] December 17, 1966

The Jets knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs in Shea Stadium as three Joe Namath touchdown throws (including a 77-yard strike to George Sauer, Jr.) led the Jets to a 38-28 win. ^[6]

[edit] October 18, 1976

The Patriots hosted the Jets on Monday Night Football, which was unofficially renamed "Monday Night Madness" when the rowdiness of drunken fans at Schaefer Stadium led to mass arrests by local police and the cuffing of fans to a chain-link fence when other space became unavailable. The Jets were stampeded by running backs Andy Johnson, Don Calhoun, and Sam Cunningham and quarterback Steve Grogan as they amassed 330 rushing yards and five touchdowns, one of them a fumble recovered by Grogan in the second quarter. Grogan also completed a short touchdown pass to Johnson, culminating in a 41-7 Patriots rout.^[7]

[edit] November 21, 1976

Hosting the Patriots at Shea Stadium, the Jets set an unofficial record for passing inefficiency as the Patriots wiped out a 10-0 first quarter gap and exploded to a 38-24 win. Joe Namath threw six interceptions; Prentice McCray snatched two picks and scored with them, while backup Richard Todd threw a seventh pick in the fourth quarter. Steve Grogan passes to Andy Johnson, Darryl Stingley, and Pete Brock and a John Smith field goal accounted for the remaining Patriots' points.

[edit] October 29, 1978

In a bizarre harbinger of Spygate, the Patriots hosted the Jets and erupted to a 48-7 third quarter lead, ultimately winning 55-21. Jets coach Walt Michaels felt the Patriots were somehow decifering his coaching staff's signals and suspected a rival team had told these codes to the Patriots. Michaels stewed afterward, "This will never happen to us again. I know what they did, but by the time we figured it out, it was too late." ^[8]

[edit] September 9, 1979

Steve Grogan set a Patriots record with five touchdown throws in a 56-3 Patriots massacre of the Jets; his touchdown record stood until Tom Brady broke it in 2007. Following the game a scuffle ensued in the crowded locker room between cornerback Raymond Clayborn and Boston Globe writer Will McDonough.

[edit] October 28, 1984

Following a 44-21 rout by the Miami Dolphins, Patriots coach Ron Meyer fired assistant coach Rod Rust, but he did not have the authority to do so and was fired himself. Raymond Berry, an assistant with Chuck Fairbanks and Ron Erhardt, was hired, and his first game was against the Jets. The Jets bolted to a 10-0 lead and then led 20-6 at the half, but the Patriots led by running back Craig James fought back and scored 24 unanswered points by Tony Franklin, James, Tony Eason, Tony Collins, and Stephen Starring for a 30-20 Patriots win. Collins later said Berry earned the respect of the locker room in that one weekend.

[edit] December 28, 1985

In the first ever playoff meeting between the two clubs, the Patriots traveled to Giants Stadium, surrendered a 7-3 gap in the second quarter, then erupted to 23 points in a 26-14 win, the team's first playoff win since beating the Buffalo Bills in a 1963 elimination game to decide the AFL's Eastern Division champ for the 1963 AFL Championship game.

[edit] October 12, 1986

The 4-1 Jets traveled to Sullivan Stadium to take on the 3-2 Patriots and the ensuing game saw memorable performances by Jets running back Johnny Hector and Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan, who was replacing oft-injured starter Tony Eason. Hector rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns as the Jets erupted to a 24-0 halftime lead, but Grogan, throwing for 401 yards and three scores, led a furious Patriots comeback, but wih the Jets holding a tenuous 31-24 led with one minute remaining, Grogan compleed a 31-yard strike to Irving Fryar across midfield, but when Fryar was hit by Jets defenders he fumbled the ball to the Jets, securing the Jets win.

[edit] 1987 season

Runaway wins were the order of the year. In September the Jets dominated the Patriots 43-24 in Giants Stadium behind scores by Johnny Hector, Al Toon, and Nuu Faaola. In the December rematch in Sullivan Stadium the Patriots flattened the Jets 42-20 behind four Steve Grogan touchdown throws and a Reggie Dupard rushing score.

[edit] November 10, 1996

The Jets entered this contest at Giants Stadium with just four wins in the 1995-6 period, but raced to a 21-0 second quarter lead after holding Drew Bledsoe 0-4 in completions in the entire first quarter. From there Bledsoe went 24-30 for 297 yards and overcame two interceptions and two sacks. After a Terry Glenn score in the second quarter, his second touchdown came to Ben Coates and tied the game at 24. A Jets field goal made it 27-24 when Bledsoe completed a pass to Coates at the 50-yard line on 4th and 2. The Jets disputed the ball spot by line judge Charles Stewart but the first down call stood, and Bledsoe found Keith Byars for the game-winning score. A late Jets rally was stopped on an endzone interception by Lawyer Milloy for a 31-27 Patriots win.

[edit] Early 1997: Bill Parcells

In his fourth season as Patriots head coach, Bill Parcells' contract was set to expire after the Patriots' appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. In the time preceding the game, rumors surfaced that Parcells would seek a coaching job elsewhere with more say in personnel decisions than he had under Patriots owner Robert Kraft.^[9] In the 1996 NFL Draft, Parcells had wanted to select a defender with the Patriots' seventh overall pick, but Kraft and personnel director Bobby Grier wanted wide receiver Terry Glenn instead,^[9] who was drafted. After the draft, after nearly being fired by Kraft for insubordination, Parcells renegotiated his contract to expire after the 1996 season instead of 1997.^[9]

After the Super Bowl, Parcells resigned from the Patriots, prompting Kraft to believe the Jets had been tampering with Parcells in an attempt for him to resign and take the Jets' vacant head coaching position and have say in the Jets' first overall selection in the 1997 NFL Draft.^[9] The Jets decided that since Parcells couldn't be their head coach in 1997 because of his contract renegotiation, they would hire Parcells as a consultant and have Bill Belichick, who followed Parcells from the Patriots, hold the title of head coach.^[9] Kraft, who was requesting a first-round pick in return for allowing Parcells to coach elsewhere, called the Jets' agreement "a transparent farce" that "demonstrated it was the Jets' intention all along for Bill Parcells to become head coach of the Jets for the '97 season."^[9] Despite Parcells claiming the Jets had been given league permission for the consulting agreement, the NFL denied any permission was given, instead having commissioner Paul Tagliabue arrange an agreement between the two sides. The Patriots received third and fourth-round picks in the 1997 NFL Draft, a second-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, and a first-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft in compensation for allowing Parcells to become the Jets' head coach.^[10]

[edit] 1997 season

For the first time in over ten years the Patriots and Jets were locked in a serious fight for the AFC East division title. Both teams opened 1997 on August 31 with games against AFC West opponants (the Patriots hosted the San Diego Chargers while the Jets played the Seattle Seahawks in the Kingdome). Both teams opened with routs - the Patriots won their game 41-7 while the Jets triumphed in theirs 41-3. The two teams met in Foxboro Stadium on September 14 on Sunday Night Football. The game lead tied or changed seven times as both quarterbacks put up strong numbers but also costly errors - Neil O'Donnell was sacked seven times while Drew Bledsoe threw two INTs, one returned by Mo Lewis for a touchdown. With the game tied at 24 Jets kicker John Hall lined up for an easy field goal in the final sixteen seconds of regulation, but the kick was blocked. Adam Vinatieri's 34-yard kick then won the game for the Patriots 27-24 in overtime.

The Jets won three of their next four after the loss, and in the rematch in Giants Stadium on October 19 the Patriots blew a 19-10 third quarter lead as Adrian Murrell and Lorenzo Neal rushing scores and desperation Bledsoe heaves that fell short sealed a 24-19 Jets win.

From there, however, both teams struggled - the Jets lost three of their next seven games and in their season finale against the Detroit Lions surrendered 184 rushing yards to Barry Sanders in a 13-10 Lions win; Jets quarterbacks Ray Lucas and Glenn Foley and fullback Leon Johnson combined for three picks. The Patriots meanwhile lost four of their final nine games after their loss to the Jets, but knocked them out of the playoffs with late-season wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, and Miami Dolphins. The Patriots thus finished 10-6 while the Jets finished 9-7.

[edit] Early 1998: Curtis Martin

After his third season in New England, running back Curtis Martin, the 1995 Rookie of the Year, became a restricted free agent. The Patriots placed the highest possible tender on Martin, that would ensure a first-round and third-round draft pick compensation if they did not match a contract offer from another team.^[10] The Jets offered Martin a 6-year, $36 million contract, and the Patriots, low on salary cap space, opted to not match the offer and took the draft pick compensation.^[10]

[edit] 1998 season

The Jets, with Martin, former Patriots fullback Keith Byars, and new quarterback Vinnie Testaverde, lost three of their first five games before defeating the 4-1 Patriots in Week Six. From there the Jets surged to their greatest season ever, winning nine of their final ten games (their only loss in this period was a 24-23 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and rookie Peyton Manning). The Patriots meanwhile slumped, losing three of their next four games before last-minute comeback wins over Miami and Buffalo and a 23-9 defeat of Pittsburgh. Drew Bledsoe broke a finger on his throwing hand and after a 32-18 loss to the St. Louis Rams backup Scott Zolak took over, leading the Patriots to a last-second 24-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers, but in the season's final game, the Patriots were crushed 31-10 by the Jets.

Both teams made the playoffs. The Patriots were crushed 25-10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wildcard round (their only loss to the Jags in eight meetings) and the Jets handled Jacksonville 34-24 in the AFC Divisional round but were smothered 23-10 by the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship.

[edit] 1999 season

The Jets and Patriots opened the 1999 season in Giants Stadium and the ensuing game became a ferocious affair. Vinnie Testaverde tore his left achilles and was replaced by former Patriots punter Tom Tupa, who threw touchdowns to Keyshawn Johnson and Fred Baxter. Trailing 16-10 at halftime the Patriots scored 17 third quarter points, but the Baxter score and a Bryan Cox touchdown off an interception put the Jets in the lead 28-27. Parcells twice called for two-point conversions and they failed; he then put in emergency quarterback Rick Mirer in the game's final three minutes, and a Mirer pass was deflected by Chris Slade and recovered by Ty Law, setting up the game-winnng Adam Vinatieri field goal with 30 seconds left.

The Patriots stormed to a 6-2 record while the Jets sleepwalked to 2-6, but in the rematch in November the Jets roared to a 24-3 lead and sweated out two fourth quarter Bledsoe touchdowns for the win, and from there both teams went in opposite directions, the Jets rallying to 8-8 and the Patriots collapsing to 8-8. The season finale for both teams ended in wins, the Patriots defeating the Baltimore Ravens while the Jets, in Parcells' final game as coach, defeated the same Seattle Seahawks against which he'd inaugurated his tenure as Jets coach.

[edit] Early 2000: Bill Belichick

A day after the 1999 season, Parcells resigned as head coach of the Jets and made his second retirement from NFL coaching.^[10] Belichick, who had been assistant head coach of the Jets, became the Jets' next head coach. The following day, at a press conference for his hiring, Belichick wrote a resignation note on a napkin ("I resign as HC of the NYJ."^[11]), and proceeded to instead announce his resignation in front of the press^[10] Despite rumors that he had been offered the Patriots' vacant head coaching position, Belichick cited the Jets' uncertain ownership situation following the death of owner Leon Hess earlier that year as the reason for his resignation.^[12] The Jets denied Belichick permission to speak with other teams, and as had happened in 1997 with Parcells, the NFL upheld Belichick's contractual obligations to the Jets. Belichick then filed an antritrust lawsuit against the NFL in federal court.^[12] After Parcells and Kraft, talking for the first time since Parcells' resignation from the Patriots, agreed to settle their differences, the Patriots and Jets agreed to a compensation package to allow Belichick to become the Patriots' head coach.^[12] With the deal, the Patriots sent their first-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft and fourth and seventh-round picks in the 2001 NFL Draft to the Jets, while also receiving the Jets' fifth-round selection in 2001 and seventh-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.^[12]

[edit] 2000-5 seasons

The Jets under new coach Al Groh swept the Patriots in 2000; in the two teams' September matchup in Giants Stadium the Jets rallied from a 19-7 gap in the fourth quarter to win 20-19, then in October smothered the Patriots in Foxboro Stadium 34-17, recording four interceptions off Drew Bledsoe. The Jets surged to a 9-4 record but then collapsed in losses to Oakland, Detroit, and Baltimore. The Patriots meanwhile never got untracked en route to a 5-11 season.

Herm Edwards replaced Groh as Jets coach, and in September 2001 Drew Bledsoe was badly injured by a hit by Mo Lewis in Foxboro Stadium; with his chest cavity filling with blood he was replaced late in the game by backup Tom Brady, but it was not enough to overcome a 10-3 Jets win. From there, however, the Patriots surged forward, and both teams met in December in Giants Stadium, the Jets at 7-3 and the Pats at 6-4. The Jets raced to a 13-0 halftime lead, then were shot down by touchdowns by Antowain Smith and a Brady toss to Marc Edwards to go with an Adam Vinatieri field goal and two Vinnie Testaverde picks. The 17-16 final continued a Patriots streak all the way to Super Bowl XXXVI while the Jets finished a strong 10-6 only to fall 24-22 to the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs.

The 2002 season opened with a comeback Jets win in OT in Buffalo, but in Week Two the Patriots mopped the Meadowlands with the Jets 44-7; Jets placekicker Matt Turk outrushed the entire Jets offensive backfield and two Testaverde turnovers led to Patriot touchdowns. After humiliating losses to Miami and Jacksonville Testaverde was benched and sophmore Chad Pennington took over under center. From there the Jets came to life and began winning in an unusually competitive NFL season. The Patriots meanwhile fell to 3-4, then rallied to 8-6 when they hosted the Jets at new Gillette Stadium in December, but the resurgent Jets shot down the Patriots 30-17, and suddenly with both teams 8-7 the final week of the regular season became a dizzying conundrum; the Patriots needed to beat the Miami Dolphins and have the Green Bay Packers defeat the Jets to win the AFC East, their only chance of a playoff berth; the Jets needed a Patriots win and to beat the Packers to win the division and thus make the playoffs, while Miami needed to win to make the playoffs. The Patriots rallied from down 24-13 in the final five minutes to force overtime and defeat the Dolphins 27-24; the Jets game against Green Bay was delayed as the overtime was played, and when the Patriots game was decided the crowd at Giants Stadium exploded in cheers even though their game had yet to produce a single down. From there the Jets rolled over the Packers 42-17, knocking Miami and New England out of the playoffs and winning the AFC East, only their second division crown in the team's history. The Jets followed up by crushing the Indianapolis Colts 41-0 in the wildcard round, but then fell to the Oakland Raiders 30-10.

Chad Pennington was injured before the 2003 season and missed most of the year; the Jets as a result never got untracked, losing in Foxboro 23-16 and in the Meadowlands 21-16, and finishing 2003 at 6-10 while the Patriots roared to 14-2 and triumph in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Pennington returned in the latter half of 2003 and ran through all of 2004. The Jets roared to a 5-0 start (including a 14-point comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers) before falling to the Patriots in Foxboro 13-7. The Patriots surged to 12-2 when they met the Jets in the Meadowlands for the season rematch and triumphed 23-7. The Patriots finished 14-2 again and the Jets finished 10-6, securing a wildcard playoff berth; responding to criticism of that fact Herm Edwards pointedly read the letter from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue informing the club of their playoff berth to reporters.

The Jets traveled to Qualcomm Stadium to meet the resurgent 12-4 San Diego Chargers in the AFC Wildcard round; the Jets clamped down on LaDanian Tomlinson and held the Chargers to 17 points; they forced overtime and broke a 17-all tie with a game-winning field goal by Doug Brien. Now in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, the Jets traveled to Heinz Field to face the 15-1 Pittsburgh Steelers, unbeaten since an opening day loss to Baltimore and riding the leadership of rookie Ben Roethlisberger. The Jets once again clamped down on their opponent and despite giving up a fourth quarter touchdown forced two Roethlisberger interceptions, but Doug Brien's field goal tries late in the game failed. Getting the ball in overtime the Steelers drove downfield and ended the game on a Jeff Reed field goal, ending the Jets' best chance at a Super Bowl since 1998. The Steelers, however, had been exposed as vulnerable, and a week later in the AFC Championship Game they were shredded 41-27 by the Patriots, who went on to victory in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Injury once again plagued Pennington and 2005 was another lost year with a 4-12 Jets record and yet another season sweep by the Patriots; in a 16-3 win in Foxboro the Pats' Adam Vinatieri passed Patriots legend Gino Cappelletti for first on the team's all-time list for points scored. The Jets responded to the season by releasing Herm Edwards. Despite the sweep of the Jets, the Patriots fell to 10-6 and were bounced by the hated Denver Broncos in the playoffs.

[edit] Early 2006: Eric Mangini

After graduating from Wesleyan University, Eric Mangini was hired as a low-level assistant by the Cleveland Browns, who had former Wesleyan football coach Kevin Spencer on their coaching staff. Also a Wesleyan alumnus, Belichick, then head coach of the Browns, met Mangini in the Browns' 1995 training camp and promoted him to a coaching assistant.^[13] Belichick was fired after the season, and Mangini followed the Browns in their move to Baltimore in 1996 for a single season before re-joining Belichick with the Jets in 1997. When Belichick was hired as head coach of the Patriots in 2000, Mangini followed Belichick to New England, and was named defensive coordinator by the 2005 season.^[13] Following the season, the Patriots granted permission for Mangini to interview for the Jets' vacant head coaching position. The Jets hired Mangini and the Patriots locked Mangini out of Gillette Stadium, not allowing him to retrieve his personal items.^[13]

[edit] 2006 season

In the second week of the 2006, Mangini referred to Belichick as "a friend" in press conferences, while Belichick refused to use Mangini's name with the media.^[13] Earlier in the week, the Patriots had traded hold-out wide receiver Deion Branch to the Seattle Seahawks and filed tampering charges against the Jets for allegedly engaging in contract talks with Branch while he was still a member of the Patriots. The Jets were later cleared of the charges by the NFL.^[13] The Patriots went on to defeat the Jets in New York, but in November, the Jets handed the Patriots a loss in New England. The post-game on-field meeting between the two in both games was a topic of discussion, with some claiming their handshakes were intentionally cold and unfriendly.^[14] Following the loss the Patriots re-sodded Gillette Stadium's deteriorated grass surface with Field Turf. The Patriots ran away 37-16 in a playoff win over the Jets on the new surface, and following the game Belichick shoved Boston Globe photographer Jim Davis before reaching Mangini and hugging his former assistant.^[15][16]

[edit] 2007 season

Further information: Spygate

The Patriots and Jets met again in the first week of the 2007 season. After the game, Belichick was accused by the Jets of authorizing his staff to film the Jets' defensive signals from an on-field location, a violation of league rules. The Jets filed a complaint to the league office, detailing the accusations. Two days later, Belichick issued a statement "to apologize to everyone who has been affected;"^[17] he also stated that he had spoken with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about his "interpretation of the rule." On September 13, Belichick was personally fined $500,000, and the team was fined $250,000. Additionally, the Patriots were required to forfeit either their first-round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft if they made the playoffs or their second and third-round selections if they did not.^[18]

Accusations of Jets also illegally videotaping the Patriots in their January 2007 playoff match-up arose following the incident. Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum called the accusations "completely false" in September 2007.^[19] In the week before the teams' December 16, 2007 game, Newsday reported the Jets were found videotaping from the mezzanine level of Gillette Stadium and asked to leave by Patriots security.^[20] The Jets later claimed they had been granted permission by the Patriots to film in the game, while Belichick denied permission was ever given.^[21]

[edit] Connections between the two teams

With Parcells, Belichick, and Mangini all acting as coaches on both teams since 1993, at least 48 players have also been with both teams in the same period. Current Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson was also a player with the Jets under Parcells. Upon becoming Jets head coach in 2006, Mangini hired former Jets and Patriots players Bryan Cox and Rick Lyle to his coaching staff, as well as former Patriot Sam Gash, and retained former Patriots assistant strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul.^[22] Former Patriots wide receivers coach Brian Daboll spent seven seasons with the Patriots before leaving to become the Jets' quarterbacks coach in 2007.^[23]

Name	Position	Years with Jets	Years with Patriots
Fred Baxter	Tight end	1993-2000	2002-03
DeCori Birmingham	Running back	2005*	2005*
Kyle Brady	Tight end	1995-98	2007
Corwin Brown	Safety	1997-98	1993-96
Kareem Brown	Defensive lineman	2007-present	2007
Terrell Buckley	Cornerback	2004	2001-02, 2004*
Keith Byars	Fullback/Tight end	1998	1996-97
Matt Chatham	Linebacker	2006-present	2000-05
Fred Coleman	Wide receiver	2000*	2001-02
Bryan Cox	Linebacker	1998-2000	2001
Steve DeOssie	Long snapper	1993	1994-95
Tim Dwight	Wide receiver	2006	2005
Barry Gardner	Linebacker	2005	2006
Chas Gessner	Wide receiver	2005*	2003
Mike Gisler	Guard/Center	1998-99	1993-97
Victor Green	Defensive back	1993-2001	2002
Bobby Hamilton	Defensive end	1996-99, 2006	2000-03
Artrell Hawkins	Safety	2008-present	2005-06
Chris Hayes	Safety	1997-2001	2002
Victor Hobson	Linebacker	2003-2007	2008-present
Rob Holmberg	Linebacker	1998	2000-01
Olrick Johnson	Linebacker	1999	2000
Kliff Kingsbury	Quarterback	2005	2003
Ty Law	Cornerback	2005	1995-2004
Courtney Ledyard	Linebacker	2000	2003
Rick Lyle	Defensive lineman	1997-2001	2002-03
Radell Lockhart	Defensive end	2005*	2002*
Omare Lowe	Defensive back	2003	2004
Ray Lucas	Quarterback/Wide receiver	1998-2000	1996-97
Curtis Martin	Running back	1998-2005	1995-97
Steve Martin	Defensive tackle	2001	2002
Dave Meggett	Running back/Kick returner	1998	1995-97
Giradie Mercer	Defensive tackle	2001-02	2001*
Ray Mickens	Cornerback	1996-2003	2006
Rashad Moore	Defensive tackle	2006	2007
Earthwind Moreland	Cornerback	2000	2004
Chad Morton	Running back/Kick returner	2001-02	2005*
Leonard Myers	Cornerback	2003	2001-02
Clint Oldenburg	Offensive tackle	2007-present	2007*
Roman Phifer	Linebacker	1999-2000	2001-04
Anthony Pleasant	Defensive end	1998-99	2001-03
Hank Poteat	Cornerback	2006-07	2004-06
Walter Rasby	Tight end	2006*	2006*
Otis Smith	Cornerback	1995-96, 1997-99	1996, 2000-02
Vinny Testaverde	Quarterback	1998-2003, 2005	2006
Tom Tupa	Punter/Quarterback	1999-2001	1996-98
Dedric Ward	Wide receiver	1997-2000	2003
Jermaine Wiggins	Tight end	2000	2000-01
Damien Woody	Offensive lineman	2008-present	1999-2003
* indicates offseason or training camp only

[edit] See also

• Spygate
• Rivalries in the NFL

[edit] Notes and references

v • d • e New York Jets Formerly the New York Titans • Based in East Rutherford, New Jersey The Franchise Franchise • History • Seasons • Players • Coaches • Logos and Uniforms • First-round draft picks • People Stadiums Polo Grounds • Shea Stadium • Giants Stadium • New Meadowlands Stadium Culture American Football League • Fireman Ed • Move to The Meadowlands • West Side Stadium Rivalries Jets-Dolphins rivalry • Jets-Patriots rivalry Lore Heidi Game • The Guarantee • The Monday Night Miracle Important Figures Harry Wismer • Don Maynard • Leon Hess • Weeb Ewbank • Joe Namath • Emerson Boozer • Walt Michaels • Richard Todd • Freeman McNeil • Mark Gastineau • Marty Lyons • Joe Klecko • Joe Walton • Ken O'Brien • Boomer Esiason • Wayne Chrebet • Keyshawn Johnson • Bill Parcells • Vinny Testaverde • Curtis Martin • Laveranues Coles • Herman Edwards • Chad Pennington Key Personnel Owner: Woody Johnson • General Manager: Mike Tannenbaum • Head Coach: Eric Mangini League Championships (1) 1968 AFL Championship Appearances (1) 1968 Super Bowl Appearances (1) 1968 (III) Seasons (49) 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 Current League Affiliations League: National Football League • Conference: American Football Conference • Division: East Division

v • d • e New England Patriots The Franchise Franchise • History • Players • Coaches • Coaches History • Seasons • First-round draft picks • Strategy • Logos and Uniforms Stadiums Nickerson Field • Fenway Park • Alumni Stadium • Harvard Stadium • Foxboro Stadium • Gillette Stadium Culture Billy Sullivan • Robert Kraft • Jonathan Kraft • Gil Santos • Gino Cappelletti • Pat Patriot • Colts Rivalry • Jets Rivalry Lore Snowplow Game • Snow Bowl • Spygate • 16-0 Head Coaches Saban • Holovak • Rush • Mazur • Bengtson • Fairbanks • Erhardt • Meyer • Berry • Rust • MacPherson • Parcells • Carroll • Belichick Division Championships (11) 1963, 1978, 1986, 1996 • 1997, 2001, 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 Super Bowl Appearances (6) XX • XXXI • XXXVI • XXXVIII • XXXIX • XLII League Championships (3) 2001, 2003, 2004 Retired Numbers 20, 40, 57, 73, 78, 79, 89 Seasons 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 Current League Affiliations League: National Football League • Conference: American Football Conference • Division: East Division