Jets and Patriots Never Met in Playoffs Until Saturday

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — They know each other as well as any two teams in the National Football League possibly can. Since 1960--when the AFL was born--they have been rivals.

Back then, a quarter of a century ago, they were the Boston Patriots and the New York Titans. Whether it was in Fenway Park or Nickerson Field or the Polo Grounds or Shea Stadium once the New York entry became the Jets, it was an intense rivalry.

Until Saturday, they never met in the playoffs. But they’ve played some classic games, including the final game of the 1966 campaign, in which the Jets knocked the Patriots out of playoff contention with a 38-28 victory. Over all those years, the Jets lead the series 29-21-1, but the Patriots have outscored New York by seven points overall.

This season’s two contests were exciting matches which went down to the final minute--or into overtime. The Patriots won in Foxboro, 20-13, and the Jets prevailed here, 16-13, on a 32-yard Pat Leahy field goal set up by Kurt Sohn’s 46-yard punt return.

The Jets carried a five-game winning streak into Sullivan Stadium for their first meeting with New England. They had outclassed Miami 23-7 the previous Monday night in their best performance of the season.

The Patriots, meanwhile, were only 3-3. But, the previous week, Steve Grogan had replaced Tony Eason at quarterback to lead a comeback for a 14-3 victory over Buffalo.

At Foxboro, the Jets went without star running back Freeman McNeil, the NFL’s leading rusher at the time. McNeil was sidelined with back spasms and, it turned out, a cracked rib.

The turning point in the close battle came early in the second half after the Jets reached the New England 1. On third down, fullback Tony Paige took a pass from quarterback Ken O’Brien and was stripped of the ball. The Patriots recovered at the 8 and marched 92 yards to a touchdown.

New York rallied to tie it, but the Patriots won on a three-yard bootleg by Grogan, who no longer is known as a running quarterback but somehow comes up with such big plays against the Jets.

In the rematch, McNeil again was hurt, this time with an ankle problem, and played only the first half. And Grogan went down early in the game with a season-ending leg injury.

The game nearly turned on another turnover, when wide receiver Irving Fryar fumbled as he headed to the end zone on a reverse. The Jets recovered and O’Brien hooked up with Wesley Walker for an 88-yard touchdown to put the Jets on top.

But New England came back and Tony Franklin’s 28-yard field goal tied it in the last seconds.

After both teams failed to move on a pair of offensive series, Patriots punter Rich Camarillo’s kick was fielded by Sohn, who cut left at midfield and sped down the sidelines. He was knocked out of bounds at the New England 15 and Leahy came in to win it.

“We’ve had two very good games,” said Walton. “Both teams played well and hard and could have won either game. I don’t think this will be any different.”

The Jets made a roster change Friday, reactivating defensive back Russell Carter, who had been out with a back injury. Defensive back Bobby Jackson, who has a hamstring injury, was placed on injured reserve, meaning he is lost for the playoffs.