1969 New York Jets (A Year After The Guarantee)

Much has been said and written about the 1968 New York Jets, and with good reason; after all, they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in football history. But how did the Jets do the following season?

1969 New York Jets

The Jets started off the 1969 season with a 33-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills at War Memorial Stadium. It was their seventh win in a row dating back to the previous season. Matt Snell picked up right where he left off in the Superbowl, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown.

Receiver Don Maynard also had a big game, gaining 118 yds receiving and scoring a touchdown. The Jets’ defense held Buffalo to just 59 yds rushing, and linebacker Paul Crane intercepted a pass and ran it 23 yards for a touchdown.

The Jets winning streak ended the following week at Mile High Stadium in Denver as Broncos running back Floyd Little ran for over 100 yards, and New York lost 21-19. In a week three game at San Diego, the Jets lost a shootout to the Chargers 34-27.

Joe Namath threw the ball 51 times for 344 yards. George Sauer caught nine of those passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, but he was outdone by Chargers receiver Gary Garrison who caught ten passes for 188 yds and two touchdowns.

Getting Back On Track

The Jets got back to winning with a week four trip to Boston. The Jets gained 164 yards rushing and held Jim Nance and the Patriots’ running attack to just 35 yards. The final score was New York 23 Boston 14.

Next up were the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Jets’ running attack was the story of the game as they gained 222 yards on the ground, led by Emerson Boozer, who gained 129 yds on only 15 carries. Linebacker Paul Crane scored his second touchdown in five games off of a blocked punt. Final score Jets 21, Bengals 7.

In week six, the Jets finally got to play a game at home against the Houston Oilers. The Jets’ defense had a tough time stopping receiver Alvin Reed who caught seven passes for 117 yards, but the story of the game was Namath to Maynard. Although he threw three interceptions, Broadway Joe also had twelve completions for 306 yds.

Don Maynard caught seven passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, one for 54 yards and the other for 57 yards. Final score Jets 26, Oilers 17.

Despite committing four turnovers the Jets’ running attack was good enough to pull out a 23-17 over the Patriots. Matt Snell gained 109 of the 210 rushing yards. A week eight victory over the Miami Dolphins didn’t come easy as Miami outgained the Jets in total yardage 421 to 315.

Dolphins running back Jim Kiick ran for 106 yds on only 15 carries, and receiver Larry Seiple caught seven passes for 102 yards. But Miami committed four costly turnovers, and they couldn’t stop Joe Namath, who connected with Maynard for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and George Sauer for 79 yards and one TD. The Jets won 34-31.

The Jets’ defense had a hard time containing Buffalo Bills receiver Haven Moses in week nine. Moses caught six passes for 147 yds, but the Jets managed just enough offense to win a rather dull game 16-6. Critics of the team were not impressed with the Jets’ 7-2 record given the fact that they had only played one team, the Chargers, who were a legitimate contender and lost that game.

Were Critics Right?

A week ten matchup against the Chiefs gave fans reason to believe the critics might be right. Chiefs running back Warren McVea gained 102 yds on only 15 carries, and receiver Otis Taylor caught seven passes for 96 yards. The Jets turned the ball over five times and got blown out 34-16. The only bright spot for the Jets was that Don Maynard had another big game with nine catches for 137 yards.

The Jets took out their frustrations in a week eleven 40-7 rout of the Bengals, holding Cincinnati to just 158 total yards. Joe Namath and his backup, Babe Parilli, combined for 18 completions, 217 yards, and three touchdowns. Don Maynard continued his outstanding season with eight receptions for 137 yds.

But the Jets had yet to prove they could beat a team with a winning record. They would get their chance in a week 12 game against the Oakland Raiders, the team they had beaten in the 1968 AFL championship game. In the first quarter Namath connected with receiver Bake Turner (subbing for the injured Maynard) for a 54-yard touchdown strike that tied the score 7-7, but after that, it was all Raiders. Oakland Quarterback Daryle Lamonica completed nineteen passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Warren Wells caught five passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. The final score was Oakland 27 New York 14.

The Jets were not particularly impressive in their week 13 win over the Oilers, but Houston committed nine turnovers, and the Jets managed a lackluster 34-26 win. In the final regular season game of the year, the Jets’ defense held Miami to just 50 yards rushing, and Bake Turner caught four passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Final score Jets 27, Dolphins 9.

1969 NFL Playoffs (New York Jets)

On a cold, windy day at Shea Stadium, the Jets played the KC Chiefs in a divisional playoff game five days before Christmas. This was the only year the AFL had divisional playoff games. Prior to 1969, the first-place team in the Eastern division played the first-place team in the Western division, and whoever won was crowned AFL Champions.

Unlike their week ten game against Kansas City, the Jets’ defense played well, holding KC to only one touchdown and two field goals. But unfortunately for Jets fans, the Chiefs defense, led by Hall of Fame middle linebacker Willie Lanier, played just a little bit better.

They harassed Joe Namath all day long. Namath completed only 14 of 40 passes and threw three interceptions. In the fourth quarter, with the Chiefs leading 6-3, the Jets had a first down at the Chiefs’ one yard, but they could not get across the goal line and had to settle for a field goal and a 6-6 tie. The Chiefs took possession on their 20-yard line and went for the kill.

Quarterback Len Dawson connected with receiver Otis Taylor for a 61-yard gain. Dawson followed that with a 19-yard touchdown strike to Gloster Richardson. Just like that, the Jets were behind by 7 points, but there was still plenty of time left, and the Jets came close to tying the score several times, but it wasn’t to be.

It was a valiant effort by the defending Superbowl Champions, but in the end the KC defense was just too strong for the Jets’ on this day.

The End of the 1969 NFL Jets' Season

Although the Jets were not able to get back to the Superbowl, it was good season for them. Joe Namath was voted the AFL Co-MVP and was also selected to play in the pro bowl game, along with Matt Snell, Don Maynard, George Sauer, Winston Hill, Dave Herman, Gerry Philbin, Larry Grantham, and John Elliot. Snell, Philbin, Elliot, and Maynard were also voted All-Pro.

In 1970 Joe Namath played in only five games due to a broken wrist. The Jets finished the season with only four wins and ten losses. They would not see another winning season until 1981.

Mark Morthier is the host of Yesterday’s Sports, a podcast dedicated to reliving memorable sports moments from his childhood days and beyond. He grew up in New Jersey just across from New York City, so many of his episodes revolve around the great sport’s teams of the 70s for the New York area.

He is also an author of No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training (Second Edition): A Guide for People with Limited Time and Running Wild: (Growing Up in the 1970s)