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. 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.

1998 New York Jets season
Owner	Leon Hess
Head coach	Bill Parcells
Home field	Giants Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Jaguars) 34–24 Lost AFC Championship (Broncos) 23–10
Pro Bowlers	QB Vinny Testaverde RB Curtis Martin WR Keyshawn Johnson LB Mo Lewis Aaron Glenn CB
Uniform

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 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[note 1] to win seven games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs.[1]

Vinny Testaverde threw for 3,256 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions in 421 pass attempts (1.7%).

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 1965-77, 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

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School/Club Team
2	56	Dorian Boose	Defensive End	Washington State
3	67	Scott Frost	Defensive Back	Nebraska
3	87	Kevin Williams	Free Safety	Oklahoma State
4	111	Jason Fabini	Offensive Tackle	Cincinnati
5	134	Casey Dailey	Linebacker	Northwestern
5	141	Doug Karczewski	Guard	Virginia
5	146	Blake Spence	Tight End	Oregon
5	149	Eric Bateman	Guard	BYU
6	163	Eric Ogbogu	Defensive End	Maryland
6	174	Chris Brazzell	Wide Receiver	Angelo State
6	183	Dustin Johnson	Running Back	BYU
7	195	Lawrence Hart	Tight End	Southern

Roster

New York Jets 1998 final roster
Quarterbacks 4 Glenn Foley 6 Ray Lucas 16 Vinny Testaverde Running Backs 20 Richie Anderson FB 41 Keith Byars FB 32 Leon Johnson PR 28 Curtis Martin 22 Dave Meggett 33 Jerald Sowell FB Wide Receivers 80 Wayne Chrebet 19 Keyshawn Johnson 86 Alex Van Dyke 89 Dedric Ward Tight Ends 84 Fred Baxter 88 Kyle Brady 82 Blake Spence		Offensive Linemen 62 Todd Burger G 76 Jumbo Elliott T 69 Jason Fabini T 67 Mike Gisler G/C 65 John Hudson G/C 71 Kerry Jenkins G 68 Kevin Mawae C 70 Matt O'Dwyer G Defensive Linemen 97 Dorian Boose DE 72 Jason Ferguson DT 92 Bobby Hamilton DE 75 Carl Hansen DE 93 Ernie Logan DT 95 Rick Lyle DE 99 Eric Ogbogu DE 98 Anthony Pleasant DE		Linebackers 53 Chad Cascadden 51 Bryan Cox 58 James Farrior 54 Dwayne Gordon 50 Rob Holmberg 52 Pepper Johnson 55 Marvin Jones 57 Mo Lewis 56 Craig Powell Defensive Backs 44 Corwin Brown S 42 Marcus Coleman CB 47 Scott Frost FS 31 Aaron Glenn CB/PR 21 Victor Green SS 30 Chris Hayes S 26 Jerome Henderson FS 24 Ray Mickens CB 45 Otis Smith CB 23 Kevin Williams FS Special Teams 3 Nick Gallery P 9 John Hall K 11 Brian Hansen P 17 John Kidd P		Reserve Lists 49 Casey Dailey LB (IR) Practice Squad 25 Robert Farmer RB Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	TV Time(ET)	TV Announcers	Game site	Notes	Attendance
1	September 6, 1998	at San Francisco 49ers	L 36–30 (OT)	CBS 4:15pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	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	CBS 1:00pm	Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, and Michele Tafoya	Giants Stadium	Glenn Foley threw three interceptions	70,063
3	September 20, 1998	Indianapolis Colts	W 44–6	CBS 1:00pm	Ian Eagle & Mark May	Giants Stadium	Vinny Testaverde replaced Foley and threw four touchdowns	79,469
4	Bye
5	October 4, 1998	Miami Dolphins	W 20–9	CBS 1:00pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Giants Stadium	Jets intercepted Dan Marino twice	75,257
6	October 11, 1998	at St. Louis Rams	L 30–10	CBS 4:15pm	Kevin Harlan & Sam Wyche	Trans World Dome	Foley started but benched for Testaverde	65,437
7	October 19, 1998	at New England Patriots	W 24–14	ABC 8:20 pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, and Lesley Visser	Foxboro Stadium	Former Patriot Curtis Martin rushed for 107 yards	60,062
8	October 25, 1998	Atlanta Falcons	W 28–3	FOX 1:00pm	Dick Stockton & Matt Millen	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	CBS 4:05pm	Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, and Michele Tafoya	Arrowhead Stadium	Jets erased 17–10 gap in fourth quarter	65,104
10	November 8, 1998	Buffalo Bills	W 34–12	CBS 4:15pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Giants Stadium	Bills quarterback Doug Flutie intercepted twice	75,403
11	November 15, 1998	at Indianapolis Colts	L 24–23	CBS 1:00pm	Ian Eagle & Mark May	RCA Dome	Last loss of the regular season	55,520
12	November 22, 1998	at Tennessee Oilers	W 24–3	CBS 4:15pm	Ian Eagle & Mark May	Vanderbilt Stadium	Steve McNair limited to 163 yards total offense	37,084
13	November 29, 1998	Carolina Panthers	W 48–21	FOX 1:00pm	Ray Bentley & Ron Pitts	Giants Stadium	Keyshawn Johnson ran in a 35-yard score	71,501
14	December 6, 1998	Seattle Seahawks	W 32–31	CBS 1:00pm	Kevin Harlan & Sam Wyche	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	ESPN 8:15pm	Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Solomon Wilcots	Pro Player Stadium	Dan Marino sacked five times	74,369
16	December 19, 1998	at Buffalo Bills	W 17–10	CBS 12:35pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Rich Stadium	Jets complete first season sweep of Bills since 1994	79,056
17	December 27, 1998	New England Patriots	W 31–10	CBS 1:00pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	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

Season summary

Week 1 at 49ers

Week One: New York Jets (0–0) at San Francisco 49ers (0–0)

	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 and Phil Simms
• 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

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoffs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC Divisional Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets – Game summary

	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). Jets 7-0 Second Quarter NYJ - John Hall 52 yard field goal. Jets 10-0 NYJ - Keyshawn Johnson 10 yard rush (John Hall kick). Jets 17-0 JAC - Jimmy Smith 52 yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick). Jets 17-7 Third Quarter NYJ - Curtis Martin 1 yard rush (John Hall kick). Jets 24-7 JAC - Keenan McCardell 3 yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick). Jets 24-14 NYJ - Curtis Martin 1 yard rush (John Hall kick). Jets 31-14 Fourth Quarter JAC - Jimmy Smith 19 yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick). Jets 31-21 JAC - Mike Hollis 37 yard field goal. Jets 31-24 NYJ - John Hall 30 yard field goal. Jets 34-24 Turnovers Jaguars - 4 Jets - 3

AFC Championship Game vs. Denver Broncos

AFC Championship Game: New York Jets at Denver Broncos – Game summary

	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

Notes

1. The 1997 Packers are the other

References

1. 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