Patriots vs Jets: The historical playbook of a heated rivalry
By Morgan Jayne
In Week 11 of the 2022 season, the New England Patriots and New York Jets will meet for the second time this season.
The Patriots won their most recent matchup in Week 8, 22-17 victory.
Being divisional rivals in the AFC East, these two teams have a storied history that started way back in 1960. Both teams were a part of the former American Football League.
Their first matchup came in September 1960, as the New England Patriots (then known as the Boston Patriots) defeated the New York Jets (then known as the New York Titans), 28-24.
Jets vs Patriots: Early days in the 1960s-1970s
Throughout the 1960s, both teams had successful winning seasons. The Jets won the AFL Championship in 1968, a title that the Patriots failed to win. The Jets also won the Super Bowl in the same year.
The Patriots, did however win the AFL Eastern Division Championship in 1963, the Jets also won the Division Championship in 1968 and 1969.
The New York Titans/Jets held a 12-7-1 record over the Boston/New England Patriots during their time in the AFL.
As the AFL merged with the NFL in 1970, both teams successes continued into the 70s. New York dominated the early part of the decade, going 10–2 from 1970–75, while New England went 6–2 from 1976–79. New England won the 1978 AFC East Divisional Championship, a championship New York would win only 20 years later.
The Patriots had some dominating wins over the Jets throughout the 70s. On October 18th, 1976, New England hosted New York on Monday Night Football. New England quarterback Steve Grogan along with running backs Andy Johnson, Don Calhoun and Sam Cunningham combined for 330 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a 41-7 New England win. In that same season, Jets quarterback Joe Namath threw six interceptions against the Patriots in a November game. The Jets also lost three fumbles, resulting in a 38-24 Patriots win.
In the October 29, 1978 game the Patriots held a 48-7 third quarter lead which ultimately turned into a 55-21 win for the Patriots. On September 1979, New England’s quarterback Steve Grogan set a Patriots record with five touchdown passes in a 56-3 New England win, a record that stood until 2007.
Jets vs Patriots: 1980s – 1990s
The 1980s and 1990s saw highs and lows for both teams. The New England Patriots held a 19-15 record over the Jets from 1980 to 1996. New England also appeared in Super Bowls XX and XXXI, in which they failed to win. In the early 80s and 90s the Jets had five playoff appearances but fell to the bottom of the league by the mid-90s.
The first playoff game between the two teams came on December 28th, 1985.
The Jets held a 7-3 lead in the second quarter however the Patriots managed to score 23 points to win the game, 26-14. This was New England’s first playoff win in the NFL. The Patriots would advance to Super Bowl XX where they lost to the dominating 1985 Chicago Bears team.