# 1986 New York Jets season

The 1986 New York Jets season was the 27th season for the team and the seventeenth in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 11–5 record from 1985 and return to the playoffs under head coach Joe Walton. The Jets finished the season with a record of 10–6, qualifying for the top Wild Card spot in the playoffs despite losing their last five games of the season. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35–15 in the wild-card round, but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round. The loss to the Browns is infamous in Jets history. Leading 20–10 in the 4th quarter, the Jets collapsed when Mark Gastineau hammered Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar seconds after he released a pass; Gastineau was flagged for roughing the passer and the Browns rallied to force overtime and win 23–20 early in the game's second overtime.
The week-3 game against Miami was memorable as Ken O'Brien and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino fought a wild shootout that culminated in the Jets winning 51–45 in overtime. Marino threw for 448 yards and six TD passes while O'Brien accumulated 479 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception for what would statistically be the best game of his career.
After 11 games, both the Jets and the New York Giants were 10–1, with many thinking there would be an all-New York Super Bowl for the first time. The Giants would indeed go on to finish 14–2 and win Super Bowl XXI.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

1986 New York Jets draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 22 | Mike Haight | OT | Iowa |
| 2 | 49 | Doug Williams | Tackle | Texas A&M |
| 3 | 79 | Tim Crawford | LB | Texas Tech |
| 4 | 105 | Rogers Alexander | LB | Penn State |
| 5 | 132 | Ron Hadley | LB | Washington |
| 7 | 189 | Bob White | Tackle | Rhode Island |
| 8 | 215 | Robert Ducksworth | DB | Southern Miss |
| 9 | 245 | Nuu Faaola | RB | Hawaii |
| 10 | 272 | Carl Carr | LB | North Carolina |
| 11 | 299 | Vince Amoia | RB | Arizona State |
| 12 | 328 | Sal Cesario | Tackle | Cal Poly |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Roster
### Depth chart

Defense1986 New York Jets roster :
* FS
* Harry Hamilton
* Johnny Lynn
| WLB | ILB | ILB | SLB |
| Bob Crable | Lance Mehl | Kyle Clifton | ⋅ |
* SS
* Lester Lyles
* CB
* Jerry Holmes
| DE | NT | DE |
| Barry Bennett | Joe Klecko | Marty Lyons |
| Mark Gastineau | Tom Baldwin | ⋅ |
* CB
* Russell Carter
Offense1986 New York Jets roster :
* WR
* Al Toon
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Jim Sweeney | Ted Banker | Joe Fields | Dan Alexander | Reggie McElroy |
| ⋅ | ⋅ | Guy Bingham | ⋅ | Gordon King |
* TE
* Mickey Shuler
* Rocky Klever
* WR
* Wesley Walker
* QB
* Ken O'Brien
* RB
* Freeman McNeil
* Johnny Hector
* FB
* Tony Paige
* Special teams
* PK Pat Leahy
* P Dave Jennings
* KR Bobby Humphery
* PR Kurt Sohn

## Schedule
### Regular season

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 7 | at Buffalo Bills | W 28–24 | 1–0 | Rich Stadium | 79,951 |
| 2 | September 11 | New England Patriots | L 6–20 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 72,422 |
| 3 | September 21 | Miami Dolphins | W 51–45 (OT) | 2–1 | Giants Stadium | 71,025 |
| 4 | September 28 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 26–7 | 3–1 | Hoosier Dome | 56,075 |
| 5 | October 5 | Buffalo Bills | W 14–13 | 4–1 | Giants Stadium | 69,504 |
| 6 | October 12 | at New England Patriots | W 31–24 | 5–1 | Sullivan Stadium | 60,342 |
| 7 | October 20 | Denver Broncos | W 22–10 | 6–1 | Giants Stadium | 73,759 |
| 8 | October 26 | New Orleans Saints | W 28–23 | 7–1 | Giants Stadium | 44,246 |
| 9 | November 2 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 38–7 | 8–1 | Kingdome | 62,497 |
| 10 | November 9 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 28–14 | 9–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,476 |
| 11 | November 16 | Indianapolis Colts | W 31–16 | 10–1 | Giants Stadium | 65,149 |
| 12 | November 24 | at Miami Dolphins | L 3–45 | 10–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | 70,206 |
| 13 | November 30 | Los Angeles Rams | L 3–17 | 10–3 | Giants Stadium | 70,539 |
| 14 | December 7 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 10–24 | 10–4 | Candlestick Park | 58,091 |
| 15 | December 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–45 | 10–5 | Giants Stadium | 58,044 |
| 16 | December 21 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–52 | 10–6 | Riverfront Stadium | 51,619 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1 at Buffalo Bills

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Bills | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C) • Wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
* Game attendance: 79,951
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Griese
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Jets
Ken O'Brien 18/25, 318 Yds, 2 TD
Freeman McNeil 21 Rush, 72 Yds
Al Toon 6 Rec, 119 Yds, TD
Bills
Jim Kelly 20/33, 292 Yds, 3 TD
Greg Bell 17 Rush, 44 Yds
Andre Reed 5 Rec, 95 Yds, TD :
The Jets spoiled the debut of Bills quarterback Jim Kelly.
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | NYJ | BUF |
| 1 | 8:55 | | | | Bills | Bell 2-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Norwood kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 1 | 6:14 | | | | Jets | Paige 2-yard touchdown run, Leahy kick good | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | 3:51 | | | | Jets | Toon 46-yard touchdown reception from O'Brien, Leahy kick good | 14 | 7 |
| 2 | 3:05 | | | | Bills | 19-yard field goal by Norwood | 14 | 10 |
| 4 | 14:00 | | | | Bills | Reed 55-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Norwood kick good | 14 | 17 |
| 4 | 9:58 | | | | Jets | Hector 1-yard touchdown run, Leahy kick good | 21 | 17 |
| 4 | 5:24 | | | | Jets | Walker 71-yard touchdown reception from O'Brien, Leahy kick good | 28 | 17 |
| 4 | 3:55 | | | | Bills | Metzelaars 4-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Norwood kick good | 28 | 24 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 28 | 24 |

#### Week 2: vs. New England Patriots

The NFL scheduled the Jets to host the Patriots in a rare Thursday night game. The Jets were limited to two field goals as Tony Collins caught two touchdowns in a 20–6 Jets loss where the two teams combined for just 486 yards of offense.

#### Week 3 vs. Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Dolphins | 7 | 14 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 45 |
| Jets | 3 | 28 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 51 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 71,025
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen
* Box Score, Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
NYJ – Pat Leahy 32-yard field goal, 4:29. Jets 3–0.
MIA – James Pruitt 6-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 2:36. Dolphins 7–3.
Second quarter
NYJ – Johnny Hector 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 12:09. Jets 10–7.
NYJ – Johnny Hector 8-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 10:00. Jets 17–7.
MIA – Dan Johnson 1-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 7:26. Jets 17–14.
MIA – Mark Duper 13-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 5:06. Dolphins 21–17.
NYJ – Wesley Walker 65-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 3:12. Jets 24–21.
NYJ – Wesley Walker 50-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 0:34. Jets 31–21.
Third quarter
MIA – Mark Duper 46-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 10:48. Jets 31–28.
MIA – Fuad Reveiz 44-yard field goal, 7:12. Tie 31–31.
MIA – Bruce Hardy 1-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 4:12. Dolphins 38–31.
Fourth quarter
NYJ – Dennis Bligen 7-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 8:42. Tie 38–38.
MIA – Mark Clayton 4-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 2:56. Dolphins 45–38.
NYJ – Wesley Walker 21-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 0:00. Tie 45–45.
Overtime
NYJ – Wesley Walker 43-yard pass from Ken O'Brien, 12:25. Jets 51–45.
Top passers
MIA – Dan Marino – 30/50, 448 Yds, 6 TD, 2 INT
NYJ – Ken O'Brien – 29/43, 479 Yds, 4 TD, INT
Top rushers
MIA – Tony Nathan – 4 Rush, 36 Yds
NYJ – Johnny Hector – 22 Rush, 82 Yds, 2 TD
Top receivers
MIA – Mark Clayton – 8 Rec, 174 Yds, TD
NYJ – Wesley Walker – 6 Rec, 194 Yds, 4 TD :
The Jets-Dolphins rivalry reached an apex in this week-3 matchup as Ken O'Brien and Dan Marino unleashed ten combined touchdowns, the last a 43-yard score to Wesley Walker and a 51–45 overtime win for the Jets.

#### Week 4: at Indianapolis Colts

The two teams combined for six fumbles and three interceptions as Pat Leahy booted four field goals and Ken O'Brien had a touchdown throw for the Jets’ 26–7 win.

#### Week 5: vs. Buffalo Bills

The Jets limited Jim Kelly to 211 yards, one touchdown, and one interception as Mickey Shuler caught the winning 36-yard touchdown for a 14–13 New York win.

#### Week 6: at New England Patriots

Johnny Hector and Steve Grogan had memorable performances as the Jets raced to a 24–0 halftime lead. Subbing for injured Tony Eason, Grogan stormed the Patriots back in the second half with three touchdowns and a career-high 401 passing yards. Hector, with a career-high 143 rushing yards, also scored three times, and in the final minute Grogan completed a deep pass to Irving Fryar, but Fryar fumbled to the Jets, ending a 31–24 Jets win.

#### Week 7: Monday Night Football at Denver Broncos

The two teams used four quarterbacks (John Elway, Gary Kubiak, Ken O'Brien, and Pat Ryan) and combined for ten quarterback sacks, 22 penalties (for 172 yards), and just 490 yards of offense as the Jets ran away with a 22–10 win.

#### Week 8: vs. New Orleans Saints

Despite being shut out 17–0 in the fourth quarter, the Jets beat the Saints 28–23. Al Toon caught three touchdowns against his son's future team and Freeman McNeil added a fourth score. The Jets grabbed three fumbles and picked off the Saints twice.

#### Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks

Gale Gilbert was intercepted twice as the Jets crushed the Seahawks 38–7. Ken O'Brien threw for 431 yards and four touchdowns as the Jets put up 553 yards of offense.

#### Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons

Three Ken O'Brien touchdowns in the second quarter were enough to upend the Falcons in a 28–14 final. O'Brien and Falcons quarterback David Archer combined for 672 passing yards.

#### Week 11: vs. Indianapolis Colts

The Jets picked off Jack Trudeau four times and won 31–16, their ninth straight win putting them at a seemingly commanding 10–1.

#### Week 12: Monday Night Football at Miami Dolphins

Mounting injuries for the Jets had steadily weakened the club and the repercussions began in a 45–3 massacre by the Dolphins in Miami. Dan Marino tossed four touchdowns and Lorenzo Hampton blasted to 188 all-purpose yards and three scores. Ken O'Brien completed just 11 of 21 passes with an interception, and Pat Ryan took over under center but was picked off himself; the Jets also fumbled twice.

#### Week 13: vs. LA Rams

Three years after the infamous set-to between Jackie Slater and Mark Gastineau the Rams returned to The Meadowlands and won 17–3. Despite 350 yards of offense the Jets managed the one field goal while coughing up four turnovers and committing eight penalties to one Rams foul.

#### Week 14: at San Francisco 49ers

Four Niners backs (including ex-Buffalo Bill Joe Cribbs) rushed for 198 yards and three scores as the Niners won 24–10, knocking the Jets to 10–4.

#### Week 15 vs. Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 0 | 17 | 0 | 28 | 45 |
| Jets | 0 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: December 13, 1986
* Game time: 12:30 PM EST
* Game weather: Clear, 32 °F (0 °C)
* Game attendance: 58,044
* Referee: Dick Hantak
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen
* Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database
Game information :
First quarter
No Scoring
Second quarter
PIT – Walter Abercrombie 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 12:10. Steelers 7–0. Drive:
NYJ – Jo-Jo Townsell 93-yard kickoff return (Pat Leahy kick), 11:54. Tie 7–7.
PIT – Gary Anderson 36-yard field goal, 9:07. Steelers 10–7. Drive:
PIT – Walter Abercrombie 7-yard pass from Mark Malone (Gary Anderson kick), 1:54. Steelers 17–7. Drive:
NYJ – Kurt Sohn 24-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 0:14. Steelers 17–14. Drive:
Third quarter
NYJ – Pat Leahy 18-yard field goal, 9:04. Tie 17–17. Drive:
Fourth quarter
PIT – Mark Malone 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 11:11. Steelers 24–17. Drive:
PIT – John Stallworth 40-yard pass from Mark Malone (Gary Anderson kick), 7:48. Steelers 31–17. Drive:
PIT – Lupe Sanchez 67-yard interception return (Gary Anderson kick), 6:00. Steelers 38–17.
NYJ – Mickey Shuler 5-yard pass from Pat Ryan (Pat Leahy kick), 2:47. Steelers 38–24. Drive:
PIT – Walter Abercrombie 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 0:37. Steelers 45–24. Drive:
Top passers
PIT – Mark Malone – 16/27, 189 yards, 2 TD, INT
NYJ – Ken O'Brien – 20/30, 197 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
PIT – Earnest Jackson – 23 rushes, 101 yards
NYJ – Freeman McNeil – 23 rushes, 137 yards
Top receivers
PIT – John Stallworth – 5 receptions, 94 yards, TD
NYJ – Mickey Shuler – 8 receptions, 69 yards, TD :
In a Saturday NFL doubleheader with the Broncos–Redskins game following, the Jets hosted the Steelers and were buried 45–24. Ken O'Brien and Pat Ryan combined for 262 yards and two touchdowns but were intercepted three times as five Steelers backs rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

#### Week 16: at Cincinnati Bengals

The AFC East slipped away from the Jets as they were crushed 52–21 by the Bengals. Boomer Esiason exploded to five touchdowns as the Jets had to settle for a wildcard playoff spot.

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Venue | Attendance |
| Wild Card | December 28 | Kansas City Chiefs (5) | W 35–15 | Giants Stadium | 69,307 |
| Divisional | January 3, 1987 | at Cleveland Browns (1) | L 20–23 (2OT) | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,106 |

### AFC Wild Card Playoffs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 15 |
| Jets | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: December 28, 1986
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 75,212
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Griese
* Scoring
** KC – Smith 1 run (kick failed)
** NYJ – McNeil 4 run (Leahy kick)
** NYJ – McNeil 1 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)
** NYJ – Toon 11 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)
** NYJ – McArthur 21 interception return (Leahy kick)
** KC – Lewis recovered blocked punt in end zone (Lowery kick)
** NYJ – Griggs 6 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)
** KC – Safety, Jennings ran out of end zone

### AFC Divisional Playoff

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Jets | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Browns | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 79,720
* Referee: Ben Dreith
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

## Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| New England Patriots$^{(3)}$ | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 7–1 | 8–4 | 412 | 307 | W1 |
| New York Jets$^{(4)}$ | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 364 | 386 | L5 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 5–3 | 6–6 | 430 | 405 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–7 | 3–11 | 287 | 348 | L3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–7 | 2–10 | 229 | 400 | W3 |