The Battle of New York (Jets vs. Giants

During the 1974 NFL season, pro football fans in New York suffered. I mean they really suffered. Both the Jets and the Giants were having horrible seasons as they entered week nine. Both teams were being dealt with more than their fair share of problems, injuries, and ineptness.

The Giants could claim only two wins at this stage of the year, while the Jets could only collect one victory. On November 10, 1974, the Jets would meet the Giants at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, in what was deemed as “The Battle of New York.”

Well, the Giants were playing their home games that year at the Yale Bowl, while they waited for Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands (or swamplands if you will) to be built. Bragging rights were at stake in this contest, and just like in other highly pitched rivalries, one seems to throw out the records and statistics.

There was a natural enmity between these two teams, and this was a game where both teams figured that they would both be in much better situations in the standings at the beginning of the year. But such was not the case.

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The Quarterbacks

Craig Morton was the new Giants quarterback, having been traded from the Cowboys a little earlier in the year. The idea behind the trade was because the Giants were simply tired of losing, and they needed a jolt of sorts. Bringing in a new quarterback can usually provide such a jolt, especially when that quarterback was a proven winner, as Morton was. While it was true that Dallas was Roger Staubach’s team, you have to remember that Morton did lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl in 1970, and to the playoffs in 1972. So Morton was more than just a serviceable quarterback.

Joe Namath was the Jets quarterback, and for the first time in several years, was actually healthy enough to play. He had endured some pretty debilitating knee injuries after his epic Super Bowl III victory in 1968. But his arm was still a rocket, and Morton’s arm was strong too. The winner of this New York versus New York game could change the course of their team’s 1974 season.

A Historic Game

This Jets-Giants game would turn out to be historic because it was the first game in the history of the regular season where a game was decided by the new sudden-death overtime rules. Those rules stipulated that after 60 minutes of regulation, the game would enter a 15-minute sudden-death overtime period. The first team to score wins.

Doesn’t matter how they scored, whether it be a safety, a field goal, or a touchdown…one score in overtime resulted in victory. If no team scored during the extra period, then the game would be declared a tie. That’s exactly what happened in the second week of the 1974 season when the Steelers and Broncos battled to a 35-35 tie after five full quarters of play. This Jets-Giants game would have a different result.

Neither team had shown an ability to play good defense in 1974, so it figured that both offenses would probably be able to move the ball.

That’s exactly what happened. And it was a pretty even matchup, at least as far as the statistics were concerned. Namath threw for 236 yards in the game, and Morton threw for 237 yards.

Both quarterbacks tossed two touchdown passes, and neither quarterback threw an interception. Moreover, neither team fumbled the ball all game long. For two teams that had been playing sub-par football during the first couple of months of the year, this particular Jets-Giants game was practically a perfect game for both teams. There were only three penalties for a grand total of 20 yards between the two teams all game long.

The Difference Maker

What separated the two teams was the running game and the field goal game. Rookie Jets running back Bob Burns managed to account for 101 ground yards, most of which came on draw plays. All tolled, the Jets accrued 189 ground yards, compared to 124 rushing yards for the Giants. On special teams, which often provides the key to victory or defeat in the sport of football, Jets placekicker Pat Leahy made two out of three field goals. In contrast, Giants placekicker Pete Gogolak only connected on two of his four field-goal attempts. Those two misses would be very harmful for the Giants.

The Jets only trailed by a score of 13-10 at halftime.

The Giants increased their lead to 20-13 by the end of the third quarter, thanks to a 12-yard scoring pass from Morton to journeyman wide receiver Bob Grim. By all appearances, and despite several missed scoring opportunities, it looked like the Giants were on their way to a win.

Then Namath led the Jets to what was perhaps their best drive of the game, which was culminated by Joe Willie himself on a 3-yard naked bootleg run into the end zone. The fourth quarter ended in a 20-20 tie. Now the sudden death overtime period commenced. It began in the same manner as the beginning of a game…with a coin toss at midfield. The numbers bear it out…the winner of the coin toss in overtime generally ends up winning the game more often than not. The Giants won this particular coin toss, and they drove down the field, intent on kicking at least a field goal for the win.

Well, that is almost what happened. Pete Gogolak attempted a field goal, but it was ruled by the referee to have sailed wide left. It was close, and it was certainly controversial. Gogolak disagreed with the official’s call. Vehemently in fact. Namath would not waste that gift of an opportunity. He immediately drove his offense downfield. He hit Richard Caster deep downfield for 42 yards, and a few plays later from the Giants’ 5-yard line, Namath connected with setback Emerson Boozer for the winning touchdown.

The Jets’ 26-20 win over the Giants gave them the impetus to turn their season around. They never lost another game in 1974 and finished with a 7-7 record. The Giants, on the other hand, never won another game in 1974, and they finished with a deplorable 2-12 record. Sometimes, just one game can make a big difference. One game in New Haven in 1974.

Host and Author of Pigskin Past - Joe Zagorski

Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s. Joe is also a proud member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

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