# 1998 New York Jets season

The 1998 New York Jets season was the 39th season for the team and the 29th in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on its previous season by three games, finishing 12–4 in their second season under head coach Bill Parcells and their first playoff appearance since 1991, 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 34–24, in the Divisional round of the playoffs, their first playoff win since 1986 and their first AFC Championship Game appearance in 16 years. Their attempt to reach their first Super Bowl in thirty years was halted by losing in Denver when the 14–2 Broncos scored 23 unanswered points in the second half.
The 1998 Jets are one of only two teams in NFL history to win seven games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs.
Vinny Testaverde threw for 3,256 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions in 421 pass attempts (1.7%).
Curtis Martin rushed for a franchise record 1,287 yards, breaking the previous mark of 1,249 yards set by Adrian Murrell just two years prior.
The title game was the Jets' last title game appearance until 2009, although they returned to the playoffs in 2001, and qualified for the postseason four more times that decade.

## 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.
The offseason also saw the first major overhaul of the Jets' uniforms and logos since 1978. The team changed its primary color from kelly green to hunter green, eliminated black which had been added in 1990 as a trim color, and abandoned the solid green helmets with the modern "JETS" wordmark in favor of white helmets with two green parallel stripes down the center, as worn from 1965 to 1977, but with a green facemask. The new primary/helmet logo resembles the 1965-77 version but is oval rather than football-shaped and has a somewhat "cleaner" appearance, with starker lines defining the word "JETS" in thick sans-serif italics in front of the "NY" in serif outline lettering, and the miniature football at bottom center. This logo was also added to the jersey front, by the player's left shoulder. The jerseys and pants also resemble the 1963-77 uniforms, with alternating shoulder stripes, opposite-colored sleeves and TV numerals, and two green parallel stripes from hip to knee on each side.

### NFL draft

1998 New York Jets draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 2 | 56 | Dorian Boose | DE | Washington State | from Pittsburgh |
| 3 | 67 | Scott Frost | DB | Nebraska | from St. Louis |
| 3 | 87 | Kevin Williams | FS | Oklahoma State | from Pittsburgh |
| 4 | 111 | Jason Fabini | OT | Cincinnati | |
| 5 | 134 | Casey Dailey | LB | Northwestern | from Philadelphia |
| 5 | 141 | Doug Karczewski | G | Virginia | |
| 5 | 146 | Blake Spence | TE | Oregon | from Tampa Bay |
| 5 | 149 | Eric Bateman | G | BYU | from Pittsburgh |
| 6 | 163 | Eric Ogbogu | DE | Maryland | from Philadelphia |
| 6 | 174 | Chris Brazzell | WR | Angelo State | |
| 6 | 183 | Dustin Johnson | RB | BYU | from Denver |
| 7 | 195 | Lawrence Hart | TE | Southern | from St. Louis |
| Made roster ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 6 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 30–36 (OT) | 0–1 | 3Com Park | Recap |
| 2 | September 13 | Baltimore Ravens | L 10–24 | 0–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 20 | Indianapolis Colts | W 44–6 | 1–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 5 | October 4 | Miami Dolphins | W 20–9 | 2–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 11 | at St. Louis Rams | L 10–30 | 2–3 | Trans World Dome | Recap |
| 7 | October 19 | at New England Patriots | W 24–14 | 3–3 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 25 | Atlanta Falcons | W 28–3 | 4–3 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 1 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 20–17 | 5–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 8 | Buffalo Bills | W 34–12 | 6–3 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 15 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 23–24 | 6–4 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 12 | November 22 | at Tennessee Oilers | W 24–3 | 7–4 | Vanderbilt Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 29 | Carolina Panthers | W 48–21 | 8–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 6 | Seattle Seahawks | W 32–31 | 9–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 13 | at Miami Dolphins | W 21–16 | 10–4 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 19 | at Buffalo Bills | W 17–10 | 11–4 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 27 | New England Patriots | W 31–10 | 12–4 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

## Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | 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 |

## Season summary
### Week 1 at 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Jets | 3 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 30 |
| 49ers | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 36 |
at 3Com Park, San Francisco, California
* Date: September 6, 1998
* Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
* Game attendance: 64,419
* Referee: Bernie Kukar
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian
* FootballDB.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
First quarter
NYJ – John Hall 34-yard field goal, 11:34. Jets 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 1:49.
SF – Garrison Hearst 5-yard run (Wade Richey kick), 3:31. 49ers 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, 3:52.
Second quarter
NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson 41-yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick), 10:11. Jets 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:34.
SF – J.J. Stokes 6 yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey kick), 2:11. 49ers 14–10. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:05.
NYJ – Wayne Chrebet 6-yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick), 0:33. Jets 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:38.
Third quarter
SF – Wade Richey 22-yard field goal, 9:05. Tie 17–17. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 2:51.
NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson 21-yard pass from Glenn Foley (John Hall kick), 7:15. Jets 24–17. Drive: 4 plays, 78 yards, 1:50.
SF – Jerry Rice 14-yard pass from Steve Young (kick blocked), 3:03. Jets 24–23. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 4:12.
Fourth quarter
NYJ – John Hall 32-yard field goal, 3:28. Jets 27–23. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:34.
SF – J.J. Stokes 31-yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey kick), 1:26. 49ers 30–27. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 2:12.
NYJ – John Hall 31-yard field goal, 0:00. Tie 30–30. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 1:26.
Overtime
SF – Garrison Hearst 96-yard run, 10:52. 49ers 36–30. Drive: 1 play, 96 yards, 0:17.
Top passers
NYJ – Glenn Foley – 30/58, 415 yards, 3 TD, INT
SF – Steve Young – 26/46, 363 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
NYJ – Curtis Martin – 22 rushes, 58 yards
SF – Garrison Hearst – 20 rushes, 187 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson – 9 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD
SF – J.J. Stokes – 7 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TD :

### Week 11 at Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jets | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Colts | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: November 15, 1998
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Game attendance: 55,520
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle & Mark May
* Box Score, Box Score
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Jets | Passing | Vinny Testaverde | 12/28, 249 Yds, TD, INT |
| Jets | Rushing | Curtis Martin | 28 Rush, 134 Yds |
| Jets | Receiving | Wayne Chrebet | 4 Rec, 112 Yds, TD |
| Colts | Passing | Peyton Manning | 26/44, 276 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Colts | Rushing | Marshall Faulk | 20 Rush, 69 Yds |
| Colts | Receiving | Marvin Harrison | 9 Rec, 128 Yds, TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | NYJ | IND |
| 1 | 10:17 | 7 | 19 | 2:36 | Colts | 31-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 6:39 | 7 | 38 | 3:38 | Jets | 37-yard field goal by John Hall | 3 | 3 |
| 1 | 3:25 | 6 | 40 | 3:14 | Colts | Torrance Small 4-yard touchdown reception from Peyton Manning, Mike Vanderjagt kick good | 3 | 10 |
| 2 | 14:02 | 7 | 74 | 4:23 | Jets | Wayne Chrebet 63-yard touchdown reception from Vinny Testaverde, John Hall kick good | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | 8:31 | 8 | 60 | 3:44 | Jets | 40-yard field goal by John Hall | 13 | 10 |
| 2 | 0:22 | 12 | 62 | 5:00 | Jets | 25-yard field goal by John Hall | 16 | 10 |
| 2 | 0:00 | | | | Jets | Missed field goal returned 104 yards for touchdown by Aaron Glenn, John Hall kick good | 23 | 10 |
| 3 | 6:28 | 4 | 49 | 1:32 | Colts | Marvin Harrison 38-yard touchdown reception from Peyton Manning, Mike Vanderjagt kick good | 23 | 17 |
| 4 | 0:24 | 15 | 80 | 2:40 | Colts | Marcus Pollard 14-yard touchdown reception from Peyton Manning, Mike Vanderjagt kick good | 23 | 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. | 23 | 24 |

## Playoffs
### Game summaries
#### AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs (3) Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Jets | 7 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 34 |
at The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: January 10, 1999
* Game time: 12:40 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 28 °F (−2.2 °C) relative humidity 53%, wind 17 miles per hour (27 km/h; 15 kn), wind chill 16 °F (−8.9 °C)
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, and Michele Tafoya
Game information :
First quarter
NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson 21-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (John Hall kick), 10:26. Jets 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 4:34.
Second quarter
NYJ – John Hall 52-yard field goal, 10:35. Jets 10–0. Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 5:43.
NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson 10-yard run (John Hall kick), 0:33. Jets 17–0. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 4:36.
JAX – Jimmy Smith 52-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick), 0:00. Jets 17–7. Drive: 3 plays, 63 yards, 0:33.
Third quarter
NYJ – Curtis Martin 1-yard run (John Hall kick), 9:13. Jets 24–7. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 3:06.
JAX – Keenan McCardell 3-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick), 8:08. Jets 24–14. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:05.
NYJ – Curtis Martin 1-yard run (John Hall kick), 2:16. Jets 31–7. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 5:52.
Fourth quarter
JAX – Jimmy Smith 19-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick), 9:58. Jets 31–21. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:30.
JAX – Mike Hollis 37-yard field goal, 6:38. Jets 31–24. Drive: 7 plays, 22 yards, 2:20.
NYJ – John Hall 30-yard field goal, 0:24. Jets 34–240. Drive: 4 plays, -4 yards, 1:35.
Top passers
JAX – Mark Brunell – 12/31, 156 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
NYJ – Vinny Testaverde – 24/36, 284 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
JAX – Fred Taylor – 20 rushes, 86 yards
NYJ – Curtis Martin – 36 rushes, 124 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
JAX – Jimmy Smith – 5 receptions, 104 yards, 2 TD
NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson – 9 receptions, 121 yards, TD :

#### AFC Championship Game: at (1) Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jets | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 23 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
* Date: January 17, 1999
* Game time: 2:05 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: 37 °F (2.8 °C), relative humidity 36%, wind 20 miles per hour (32 km/h; 17 kn)
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian, and Bonnie Bernstein
Game information :
First quarter
no scoring
Second quarter
NYJ – John Hall 32 yard field goal. Jets 3–0
Third quarter
NYJ – Curtis Martin 1 yard rush (John Hall kick) Jets 10–0
Den – Howard Griffith 11 yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick) Jets 10–7
Den – Jason Elam 44 yard field goal. Tie 10–10
Den – Jason Elam 48 yard field goal. Broncos 13–10
Den – Terrell Davis 31 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 20–10
Fourth quarter
Den – Jason Elam 35 yard field goal Broncos 23–10
Jets
Vinny Testaverde. 31-56, 356 yards, 0 TD, 2 Int
Wayne Chrebet. 8 rec, 121 yards
Broncos
John Elway. 13-34, 173 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int
Terrell Davis. 32 rush, 167 yards, 1 TD
Turnovers:
Jets – 6
Broncos – 0 :