Jets – Patriots rivalry Connections between the two teams predated the Parcells - Belichick eras . Mike Holovak coached the then - Boston Patriots 1961 - 68 , going 5 - 10 - 1 against the Jets ; he joined the Jets front office and in the 1976 season finale ( a 42 - 3 rout by the Cincinnati Bengals ) was named interim head coach , replacing Lou Holtz . Holovak was responsible for drafting players such as linebacker Greg Buttle , defensive lineman Joe Klecko of later New York Sack Exchange fame , and quarterback Richard Todd for the Jets , but he quit the organization after the 1977 draft because he ' d been passed over for the head coaching job by Walt Michaels . Ironically , sixteen years later Holovak had to break up a fight between two assistant coaches as Houston Oilers GM , when the Oilers defeated the Jets in the 1993 season finale . Mike Hickey was an assistant personnel director for the Patriots under Chuck Fairbanks before joining the Jets and running their drafts in the 1980s ; Hickey has been criticized over the years for a number of personnel choices , none more controversial than his 1983 decision not to draft Dan Marino . Dick Steinberg was general manager of the Patriots in the 1980s but was released with coach Raymond Berry after the 1989 season . Steinberg was hired as Jets GM for 1990 , but he was blamed for poor draft picks , notably unproductive running back Blair Thomas and quarterback Browning Nagle , and for missing on drafting quarterback Brett Favre after he tried to swing a draft - day deal with the Phoenix Cardinals only to have the Cardinals back out at the last minute . Ron Erhardt was a member of Chuck Fairbanks ' staff with the Patriots in the 1970s , and was elevated to head coach 1979 - 81 ; his Patriots squads went 3 - 3 against the Jets , including a 56 - 3 massacre of the Jets in September 1979 . In 1996 he was hired as Jets offensive coordinator before retiring from football after the 1997 season ; he was a notable target of the wrath of Keyshawn Johnson in the rookie receiver ' s 1997 book " Just Give Me The Damn Ball . " Connections during the Belichick - Mangini Era include family connections . Derrick Gaffney was a Jets wide receiver 1978 - 87 ; his son Jabar Gaffney was a Patriots WR from 2006 - 8 . Also , Joe Klecko was part of the Jets ' famous New York Sack Exchange defensive line , while his son Dan Klecko was a reserve player on the Patriots ' defensive line and also played fullback on goal line pushes in their Super Bowl dynasty . The two teams share bitter rivalries with their divisional rivals Buffalo and Miami as well as with the Raiders and the Colts and from time to time have needed or wanted help from each other in key games ; in 2001 the Patriots needed a Jets victory over the Raiders in the season finale to lock up the AFC East while the Jets needed the win to secure a playoff berth ; in 2002 the Jets needed a Patriots win over Miami to make the playoffs ; in 2009 it was the Jets who ended the quest of Indianapolis for a perfect season two years after New England went 16 - 0 . The two teams have also shared bitter playoff moments involving referee Ben Dreith ; Dreith officiated New England ' s controversial 1976 playoff loss to the Oakland Raiders and also was referee in the Jets ' 1986 playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns ; he was criticized by Jets players defending teammate Mark Gastineau following his controversial hit on Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar . As noted above , games between the two teams have often played out the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball . During games between the two teams , there are derogatory chants made at the Red Sox during games at the Meadowlands and at the Yankees during games in New England .