1998 New York Jets season

1998 New York Jets season
Head coach	Bill Parcells
Owner	Leon Hess
Home field	Giants Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Divisional round (34–24 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars) Lost AFC Championship (23–10 at Denver Broncos)

The 1998 New York Jets season was the 39th season for the team and the 29th in the National Football League. The team improved on its previous season by three games, finishing 12–4 in their second season under head coach Bill Parcells, winning their first division title since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970; the 12–4 record was also the best in Jets history. This success came just two years after the Jets' 1–15 record in 1996.

The Jets earned a first-round bye, given to the two division winners with the best records, for the first time. They defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Their attempt to reach their first Super Bowl in thirty years fell short when they lost to John Elway and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game 23–10.

The 1998 Jets are one of only two teams in NFL history^[1] to win seven games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs.^[2]

Offseason

In the offseason, the Jets signed New England Patriots running back Curtis Martin to an offer sheet. The Patriots had offered Martin, their star running back, a tender deal that would net them a first-round pick and a third-round pick if a team signed him. Jets coach and general manager Bill Parcells, who had left New England two years prior and still harbored some bad blood with the team, offered Martin a very large contract that the Patriots were unwilling to match, further fueling the rivalry between the teams.

In addition, the Jets parted ways with veteran quarterback Neil O'Donnell after two seasons and signed another veteran, Vinny Testaverde, to serve as backup to Glenn Foley. Testaverde eventually succeeded Foley as the starter and led the Jets to their division title. On defense, New York added former Miami Dolphins linebacker Bryan Cox.

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Notes	Attendance
1	September 6, 1998	at San Francisco 49ers	L 36–30 (OT)	3Com Park	Game decided in overtime on Garrison Hearst's 96-yard touchdown run	64,419
2	September 13, 1998	Baltimore Ravens	L 24–10	Giants Stadium	Glenn Foley threw three interceptions	70,063
3	September 20, 1998	Indianapolis Colts	W 44–6	Giants Stadium	Vinny Testaverde replaced Foley and threw four touchdowns	79,469
4	Bye
5	October 4, 1998	Miami Dolphins	W 20–9	Giants Stadium	Jets intercepted Dan Marino twice	75,257
6	October 11, 1998	at St. Louis Rams	L 30–10	Trans World Dome	Foley started but benched for Testaverde	65,437
7	October 19, 1998	at New England Patriots	W 24–14	Foxboro Stadium	Former Patriot Curtis Martin rushed for 107 yards	60,062
8	October 25, 1998	Atlanta Falcons	W 28–3	Giants Stadium	Falcons played backup quarterbacks Tony Graziani and Steve DeBerg; Jets intercepted passes from both	71,573
9	November 1, 1998	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 20–17	Arrowhead Stadium	Jets erased 17–10 gap in fourth quarter	65,104
10	November 8, 1998	Buffalo Bills	W 34–12	Giants Stadium	Bills quarterback Doug Flutie intercepted twice	75,403
11	November 15, 1998	at Indianapolis Colts	L 24–23	RCA Dome	Last loss of the regular season	55,520
12	November 22, 1998	at Tennessee Oilers	W 24–3	Vanderbilt Stadium	Steve McNair limited to 163 yards total offense	37,084
13	November 29, 1998	Carolina Panthers	W 48–21	Giants Stadium	Keyshawn Johnson ran in a 35-yard score	71,501
14	December 6, 1998	Seattle Seahawks	W 32–31	Giants Stadium	Phil Luckett criticized for a late Testaverde rushing touchdown where replays showed him down short of the goal. Announcers on CBS were Kevin Harlan and Sam Wyche.	72,200
15	December 13, 1998	at Miami Dolphins	W 21–16	Pro Player Stadium	Dan Marino sacked five times	74,369
16	December 19, 1998	at Buffalo Bills	W 17–10	Rich Stadium	Jets complete first season sweep of Bills since 1994	79,056
17	December 27, 1998	New England Patriots	W 31–10	Giants Stadium	Jets win AFC East for first time	74,302

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(2) New York Jets	12	4	0	.750	416	266	W6
^(4) Miami Dolphins	10	6	0	.625	321	265	L1
^(5) Buffalo Bills	10	6	0	.625	400	333	W1
^(6) New England Patriots	9	7	0	.563	337	329	L1
Indianapolis Colts	3	13	0	.188	310	444	L2

References

1. 1997 Packers
2. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, team won game, in games against playoff teams only, only in games against teams with winning record for season, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.

External links

• 1998 team stats
• 1998 New York Jets video