Jets–Patriots rivalry

New York Jets–New England Patriots
Regular Season History
First Meeting	September 17, 1960
First Result	BOS 28, NYT 24
Last Meeting	November 22, 2009
Last Result	NE 31, NYJ 14
Next Meeting	TBA
Rivalry status	100 meetings[1]
Largest victory	NE 56, NYJ 3 (1979)
Smallest victory	NYT 21, BOS 20 (1961) NYJ 27, NE 26 (1979) NE 14, NYJ 13 (1988) NYJ 27, NE 26 (1989) NYJ 20, NE 19 (2000)
Current Streak	Patriots W1 (2009-present)
All-Time Series	NYJ 50-49-1
Post Season History
Last Meeting	January 7, 2007
Last Result	NE 37, NYJ 16
All-Time Postseason Series	Patriots lead 2-0
Playoff and Championship Success
AFL Championships (1) Jets (1) – 1968 Patriots (0) – none Super Bowl Championships (4) Jets (1) – 1968 Patriots (3) – 2001, 2003, 2004 Super Bowl Appearances (7) Jets1 (1) – 1968 Patriots2 (6) – 1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007 AFL Eastern Division Championships (3) (1960—1969) Jets (2) – 1968, 1969 Patriots (1) – 1963 AFC East Divisional Championships (12) (1970—present) Jets (2) – 1998, 2002 Patriots (10) – 1978, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 AFC Wild Card Berths (13) (1970—present) Jets (8) – 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1991, 2001, 2004, 2006 Patriots (5) – 1976, 1982, 1985, 1994, 1998 1: The Jets have never won the AFC Championship. 2: The Patriots never won the AFL Championship.

The New York Jets–New England Patriots rivalry is a rivalry between two franchises in the National Football League. The teams both play in the AFC East, and play two scheduled games each season as a result.

Rivalry statistics

Game results

The following is a list of results from all of the meetings between the New York Jets/Titans and Boston/New England Patriots from their first meeting on September 17, 1960 to the present:

1960s (AFL, Jets 12-7-1)

1970s (Jets 12-8)

1980s (Patriots 12-8)

1990s (Jets 11-7)

2000s (Patriots 14-7)

Notable moments

September 17, 1960

In the two clubs' very first meeting, the New York Titans hosted the Boston Patriots at New York's Polo Grounds. Al Dorow of the Titans erupted to three touchdown throws and led the Titans to a 24-7 lead in the third quarter. But Butch Songin and 109 rushing yards by Patriots runners clawed Boston back to trail 24-21 in the fourth quarter, then Chuck Shonta finished off the Titans when they fumbled and he ran back the ball 52 yards for the 28-24 Patriots win.

October 2, 1966

The then-Boston Patriots tied the Jets 24-24 at Fenway Park, for the only dead-heat in the rivalry's history. The Patriots led 24-7 after three quarters but two Joe Namath touchdowns and a Jim Turner field goal tied the game. It would also be the last time the Patriots did not lose to the Jets until October 1971. ^[5]

December 17, 1966

The Jets knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs in Shea Stadium as three Joe Namath touchdown throws (including a 77-yard strike to George Sauer, Jr.) led the Jets to a 38-28 win. ^[5]

1974 season

It was a tale of two season halves. On October 13 at Shea Stadium the Patriots shut out the now-1-4 Jets 24-0 as Sam Cunningham rushed in two touchdowns and Bob Geddes ran back a Joe Namath interception for a 23-yard touchdown; the win was New England's fifth straight in 1974 and first over the Jets since October 10, 1971. Five weeks later on November 17 at Schaefer Stadium the Jets, fresh off a dramatic victory over the New York Giants, rolled to a 21-16 win as Namath threw two touchdowns and Jim Plunkett was picked off four times. The win put the Jets at 3-7 as they finished the season with a six-game winning streak while the Patriots fell to 7-7.

October 18, 1976

The Patriots hosted the Jets on Monday Night Football, which was unofficially renamed "Monday Night Madness" when the rowdiness of drunken fans at Schaefer Stadium led to mass arrests by local police and the cuffing of fans to a chain-link fence when other space became unavailable. The Jets were stampeded by running backs Andy Johnson, Don Calhoun, and Sam Cunningham and quarterback Steve Grogan as they amassed 330 rushing yards and five touchdowns, one of them a fumble recovered by Grogan in the second quarter. Grogan also completed a short touchdown pass to Johnson, culminating in a 41-7 Patriots rout.^[6]

November 21, 1976

Hosting the Patriots at Shea Stadium, the Jets set an unofficial record for passing inefficiency as the Patriots wiped out a 10-0 first quarter gap and exploded to a 38-24 win. Joe Namath threw six interceptions; Mike Haynes had three interceptions, Tim Fox had one, and Prentice McCray had two of his own and scored with them (a 63-yard score and a 55-yard score), while backup Richard Todd threw a seventh interception (to cornerback Bob Howard) in the fourth quarter; the Jets also coughed up three fumbles. Steve Grogan passes to Andy Johnson, Darryl Stingley, and Pete Brock and a John Smith field goal accounted for the remaining Patriots' points.

October 29, 1978

In a bizarre harbinger of Spygate, the Patriots hosted the Jets and erupted to a 48-7 third quarter lead, ultimately winning 55-21. Jets coach Walt Michaels felt the Patriots were somehow decifering his coaching staff's signals and suspected a rival team had told these codes to the Patriots. Michaels stewed afterward, "This will never happen to us again. I know what they did, but by the time we figured it out, it was too late." Later that season the Houston Oilers erased a 23-0 gap to beat the Patriots 26-23, and there was speculation the Jets had told Oilers coaches about Patriots codes. ^[7]

September 9, 1979

Steve Grogan set a Patriots record with five touchdown throws in a 56-3 Patriots massacre of the Jets at Schaefer Stadium; his touchdown record stood until Tom Brady broke it against the Dolphins in 2007. Following the game a scuffle ensued in the crowded locker room between cornerback Raymond Clayborn and Boston Globe writer Will McDonough.

December 9, 1979

During halftime a Jets win at Shea Stadium, a man from Nashua, New Hampshire was injured and later died after he was struck by a radio-controlled flying lawnmower that stalled in mid-air and crashed into the stands.^[8]

September 30, 1984

New England made its first trip to The Meadowlands at 2-2 to face the 3-1 Jets. Jets cornerback Bobby Jackson popped his right hamstring during morning stretching and was lost for the year; coach Joe Walton replaced him with Davlin Mullen, but the Patriots behind 354 passing yards by Tony Eason rolled to a 28-21 win; following three unanswered Patriots scores in the second half Mullen was benched by Walton for rookie Russell Carter.

October 28, 1984

Following a 44-21 rout by the Miami Dolphins, Patriots coach Ron Meyer fired assistant coach Rod Rust, but he did not have the authority to do so and was fired himself. Raymond Berry, an assistant with Chuck Fairbanks and Ron Erhardt, was hired, and his first game was against the Jets. The Jets bolted to a 10-0 lead and then led 20-6 at the half, but the Patriots led by running back Craig James fought back and scored 24 unanswered points by Tony Franklin, James, Tony Eason, Tony Collins, and Stephen Starring for a 30-20 Patriots win. Collins later said Berry earned the respect of the locker room in that one weekend.

December 28, 1985

In the first ever playoff meeting between the two clubs, the Patriots traveled to Giants Stadium, surrendered a 7-3 gap in the second quarter, then erupted to 23 points in a 26-14 win, the team's first playoff win since beating the Buffalo Bills in a 1963 elimination game to decide the AFL's Eastern Division champ for the 1963 AFL Championship game.

October 12, 1986

The 4-1 Jets traveled to Sullivan Stadium to take on the 3-2 Patriots and the ensuing game saw memorable performances by Jets running back Johnny Hector and Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan, who was replacing oft-injured starter Tony Eason. Hector rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns as the Jets erupted to a 24-0 halftime lead, but Grogan, throwing for 401 yards and three scores, led a furious Patriots comeback, but with the Jets holding a tenuous 31-24 led with one minute remaining, Grogan completed a 31-yard strike to Irving Fryar across midfield, but when Fryar was hit by Jets defenders he fumbled the ball to the Jets, securing the Jets win.

1987 season

Runaway wins were the order of the year. In September on Monday Night Football the Jets dominated the Patriots 43-24 in Giants Stadium behind scores by Johnny Hector, Al Toon, and Nuu Faaola. In the December rematch in Sullivan Stadium the Patriots flattened the Jets 42-20 behind four Steve Grogan touchdown throws and a Reggie Dupard rushing score.

October 16, 1994

The Jets hosted the Patriots with both teams 3-3. Future Pats coach Pete Carroll was in his first year heading the Jets while future Jets coach Bill Parcells was in his second season heading the Patriots. Brad Baxter rushed for two touchdowns and Boomer Esiason threw for an additional score despite being sacked six times. The Patriots lost the turnover battle, coughing up three fumbles and one interception en route to a 24-17 Jets win.

November 10, 1996

The Jets entered this contest at Giants Stadium with just four wins in the 1995-6 period, but raced to a 21-0 second quarter lead after holding Drew Bledsoe 0-4 in completions in the entire first quarter. From there Bledsoe went 24-30 for 297 yards and overcame two interceptions and two sacks. After a Terry Glenn score in the second quarter, his second touchdown came to Ben Coates and tied the game at 24. A Jets field goal made it 27-24 when Bledsoe completed a pass to Coates at the 50-yard line on 4th and 2. The Jets disputed the ball spot by line judge Charles Stewart but the first down call stood, and Bledsoe found Keith Byars for the game-winning score. A late Jets rally was stopped on an endzone interception by Lawyer Milloy for a 31-27 Patriots win.

Early 1997: Bill Parcells

In his fourth season as Patriots head coach, Bill Parcells' contract was set to expire after the Patriots' appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. In the time preceding the game, rumors surfaced that Parcells would seek a coaching job elsewhere with more say in personnel decisions than he had under Patriots owner Robert Kraft.^[9] In the 1996 NFL Draft, Parcells had wanted to select a defender with the Patriots' seventh overall pick, but Kraft and personnel director Bobby Grier wanted wide receiver Terry Glenn instead,^[9] who was drafted.

After the Super Bowl, Parcells resigned from the Patriots, prompting Kraft to believe the Jets had been tampering with Parcells in an attempt for him to resign and take the Jets' vacant head coaching position and have say in the Jets' first overall selection in the 1997 NFL Draft.^[9] The Jets decided that since Parcells couldn't be their head coach in 1997 because of his contract renegotiation, they would hire Parcells as a consultant and have Bill Belichick, who followed Parcells from the Patriots, hold the title of head coach.^[9] Kraft, who was requesting a first-round pick in return for allowing Parcells to coach elsewhere, called the Jets' agreement "a transparent farce" that "demonstrated it was the Jets' intention all along for Bill Parcells to become head coach of the Jets for the '97 season."^[9] Despite Parcells claiming the Jets had been given league permission for the consulting agreement, the NFL denied any permission was given, instead having commissioner Paul Tagliabue arrange an agreement between the two sides. The Patriots received third and fourth-round picks in the 1997 NFL Draft, a second-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, and a first-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft in compensation for allowing Parcells to become the Jets' head coach.^[10]

1997 season

For the first time in over ten years the Patriots and Jets were locked in a serious fight for the AFC East division title. Both teams opened 1997 on August 31 with games against AFC West opponents (the Patriots hosted the San Diego Chargers while the Jets played the Seattle Seahawks in the Kingdome). Both teams opened with routs - the Patriots won their game 41-7 while the Jets triumphed in theirs 41-3. The two teams met in Foxboro Stadium on September 14 on Sunday Night Football. The game lead tied or changed seven times as both quarterbacks put up strong numbers but also costly errors - Neil O'Donnell was sacked seven times and fumbled three times, while on the Patriots side Drew Bledsoe threw two INTs, one returned by Mo Lewis for a touchdown. With the game tied at 24 Jets kicker John Hall lined up for an easy field goal in the final sixteen seconds of regulation, but the kick was blocked. Adam Vinatieri's 34-yard kick then won the game for the Patriots 27-24 in overtime.

The Jets won three of their next four (over Oakland, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis) after the loss, and in the rematch in Giants Stadium on October 19 the Patriots blew a 19-10 third quarter lead as Adrian Murrell and Lorenzo Neal rushing scores and desperation Bledsoe heaves that fell short sealed a 24-19 Jets win.

From there, however, both teams struggled - the Jets lost three of their next seven games (to Miami, Buffalo, and the Colts) and in their season finale against the Detroit Lions surrendered 184 rushing yards to Barry Sanders in a 13-10 Lions win; Jets quarterbacks Ray Lucas and Glenn Foley and fullback Leon Johnson combined for three picks. The Patriots meanwhile lost four of their final nine games (to Green Bay, Minnesota, Tampa, and Pittsburgh) after their loss to the Jets, but knocked them out of the playoffs with late-season wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, and Miami Dolphins twice. The Patriots thus finished 10-6 while the Jets finished 9-7.

Early 1998: Curtis Martin

After his third season in New England, running back Curtis Martin, the 1995 Rookie of the Year, became a restricted free agent. The Patriots placed the highest possible tender on Martin, that would ensure a first-round and third-round draft pick compensation if they did not match a contract offer from another team.^[10] The Jets offered Martin a 6-year, $36 million contract, and the Patriots, low on salary cap space, opted to not match the offer and took the draft pick compensation.^[10]

1998 season

The Jets, with Martin, former Patriots fullback Keith Byars, and new quarterback Vinny Testaverde, lost three of their first five games (to the Forty-Niners in overtime, the Baltimore Ravens, and St. Louis Rams) before defeating the 4-1 Patriots in Week Six. From there the Jets surged to their greatest season ever, winning nine of their final ten games (their only loss in this period was a 24-23 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and rookie Peyton Manning). The Patriots meanwhile slumped, losing three of their next four games before last-minute comeback wins over Miami and Buffalo and a 23-9 defeat of Pittsburgh. Drew Bledsoe broke a finger on his throwing hand and after a 32-18 loss to the St. Louis Rams backup Scott Zolak took over, leading the Patriots to a last-second 24-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers, but in the season's final game, the Patriots were crushed 31-10 by the Jets.

Both teams made the playoffs. The Patriots were crushed 25-10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wildcard round (their only loss to the Jags in eight meetings) and the Jets handled Jacksonville 34-24 in the AFC Divisional round but gave up 23 unanswered second-half points in a 23-10 defeat to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship.

1999 season

The Jets and Patriots opened the 1999 season in Giants Stadium and the ensuing game became a ferocious affair. Vinny Testaverde tore his left achilles and was replaced by former Patriots punter Tom Tupa, who threw touchdowns to Keyshawn Johnson and Fred Baxter. Trailing 16-10 at halftime the Patriots scored 17 third quarter points, but the Baxter score and a Bryan Cox touchdown off an interception put the Jets in the lead 28-27. Parcells twice called for two-point conversions and they failed; he then put in emergency quarterback Rick Mirer in the game's final three minutes, and a Mirer pass was deflected by Chris Slade and recovered by Ty Law, setting up the game-winnng Adam Vinatieri field goal with 30 seconds left.

The Patriots stormed to a 6-2 record, beating the Jets, Indianapolis, the NY Giants, Cleveland, Denver, and Arizona, while the Jets sleepwalked to 2-6, beating only Denver and Arizona. But in the rematch in November the Jets roared to a 24-3 lead and sweated out two fourth quarter Bledsoe touchdowns for the win, and from there both teams went in opposite directions, the Jets slumping to 4-8 and then winning their final four games to finish 8-8, while the Patriots collapsed to 8-8. The season finale for both teams ended in wins, the Patriots defeating the Baltimore Ravens while the Jets, in Parcells' final game as coach, defeated the same Seattle Seahawks against which he'd inaugurated his tenure as Jets coach.

Early 2000: Bill Belichick

A day after the 1999 season, Parcells resigned as head coach of the Jets and made his second retirement from NFL coaching.^[10] Belichick, who had been assistant head coach of the Jets, became the Jets' next head coach. The following day, at a press conference for his hiring, Belichick wrote a resignation note on a napkin ("I resign as HC of the NYJ."^[11]), and proceeded to instead announce his resignation in front of the press^[10] Despite rumors that he had been offered the Patriots' vacant head coaching position, Belichick cited the Jets' uncertain ownership situation following the death of owner Leon Hess earlier that year as the reason for his resignation.^[12] The Jets denied Belichick permission to speak with other teams, and as had happened in 1997 with Parcells, the NFL upheld Belichick's contractual obligations to the Jets. Belichick then filed an antritrust lawsuit against the NFL in federal court.^[12] After Parcells and Kraft, talking for the first time since Parcells' resignation from the Patriots, agreed to settle their differences, the Patriots and Jets agreed to a compensation package to allow Belichick to become the Patriots' head coach.^[12] With the deal, the Patriots sent their first-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft and fourth and seventh-round picks in the 2001 NFL Draft to the Jets, while also receiving the Jets' fifth-round selection in 2001 and seventh-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.^[12]

2000-5 seasons

The Jets under new coach Al Groh swept the Patriots in 2000; in the two teams' September matchup in Giants Stadium the Jets rallied from a 19-7 gap in the fourth quarter to win 20-19, then in October smothered the Patriots in Foxboro Stadium 34-17, recording four interceptions off Drew Bledsoe. The Jets surged to a 9-4 record but then collapsed in losses to Oakland, Detroit, and Baltimore. The Patriots meanwhile never got untracked en route to a 5-11 season.

Herm Edwards replaced Groh as Jets coach, and in September 2001 Drew Bledsoe was badly injured by a hit by Mo Lewis in Foxboro Stadium; with his chest cavity filling with blood (an injury requiring hospitalization) he was replaced late in the game by backup Tom Brady, but it was not enough to overcome a 10-3 Jets win. From there, however, the Patriots surged forward, and both teams met in late November in Giants Stadium, the Jets at 7-4 and the Pats at 6-5. The Jets raced to a 13-3 halftime lead, then were shot down by touchdowns by Antowain Smith and a Brady toss to Marc Edwards to go with an Adam Vinatieri field goal and two Vinnie Testaverde picks. The 17-16 final continued a Patriots streak all the way to Super Bowl XXXVI while the Jets finished a strong 10-6 only to fall 24-22 to the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs.

The 2002 season opened with a comeback Jets win in OT in Buffalo, but in Week Two the Patriots mopped the Meadowlands with the Jets 44-7; Jets placekicker Matt Turk (14 yards on a botched punt attempt) outrushed the entire Jets offensive backfield (nine yards by Curtis Martin, LaMont Jordan, and Richie Anderson combined) and two Testaverde turnovers (a fumble to Tebucky Jones and an interception by Victor Green) led to Patriot touchdowns. A humiliating 30-3 loss in Miami was followed by a 28-3 loss in Jacksonville; during this game Testaverde failed to complete a pass in four tries and was sacked once; he was thus benched and sophomore Chad Pennington took over under center, finishing with 281 yards and one INT.

From there, however, the Jets came to life. Against the Kansas City Chiefs Pennington completed 22 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns as the game lead tied or changed eight times; the Chiefs won 29-25 on a Trent Green touchdown (19 yards) to Priest Holmes with 27 seconds left. The Jets now began winning in an unusually competitive NFL season, beating the Minnesota Vikings 20-7 as they won six of nine games entering their Week 16 showdown with New England. The Patriots meanwhile fell to 3-4 after an OT win (41-38) over Kansas City was followed by four straight losses (to San Diego, Miami, Green Bay, and Denver; the Patriots then rallied to 8-6 with routs of Buffalo twice, a huge comeback over Chicago, and wins over Minnesota and Detroit when they hosted the Jets at new Gillette Stadium in December. With both teams coming off losses (the Patriots lost to Tennessee on Monday Night Football while the Jets were beaten in Chicago), the resurgent Jets shot down the Patriots 30-17, and suddenly with both teams 8-7 the final week of the regular season became a dizzying conundrum; the Patriots needed to beat the Miami Dolphins and have the Green Bay Packers defeat the Jets to win the AFC East, their only chance of a playoff berth; the Jets needed a Patriots win and to beat the Packers to win the division and thus make the playoffs, while Miami needed to win to make the playoffs. The Patriots rallied from down 24-13 in the final five minutes to force overtime and defeat the Dolphins 27-24; the Jets game against Green Bay was delayed as the overtime was played, and when the Patriots game was decided the crowd at Giants Stadium exploded in cheers even though their game had yet to produce a single down. From there the Jets rolled over the Packers 42-17, knocking Miami and New England out of the playoffs and winning the AFC East, only their second division crown since the 1970 merger. The Jets followed up by crushing the Indianapolis Colts 41-0 in the wildcard round, but then fell to the Oakland Raiders 30-10.

Chad Pennington was injured in the Jets' 2003 preseason game against the Giants and missed half of the year. He returned in the latter half of 2003 but the 2-4 Jets could only salvage a 6-10 record. The Patriots, meanwhile, roared to 14-2, sweeping the Jets (23-16 at Foxboro, 21-16 at The Meadowlands) en route to victory in Super Bowl XXXVIII. For the 2004 season Pennington stayed healthy and the Jets roared to a 5-0 start (including a 14-point comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers) before falling to the Patriots in Foxboro 13-7. The Patriots surged to 12-2 when they met the Jets in the Meadowlands for the season rematch and triumphed 23-7. The Patriots finished 14-2 again and the Jets finished 10-6, securing a wildcard playoff berth; responding to criticism of that fact Herm Edwards pointedly read the letter from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue informing the club of their playoff berth to reporters.

The Jets traveled to Qualcomm Stadium to meet the resurgent 12-4 San Diego Chargers in the AFC Wildcard round; the Jets clamped down on LaDanian Tomlinson and held the Chargers to 17 points; they forced overtime and broke a 17-all tie with a game-winning field goal by Doug Brien. Now in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, the Jets traveled to Heinz Field to face the 15-1 Pittsburgh Steelers, unbeaten since a Week Two loss to Baltimore and riding the leadership of rookie Ben Roethlisberger. The Jets once again clamped down on their opponent and despite giving up a fourth quarter touchdown forced two Roethlisberger interceptions, but Doug Brien's field goal tries late in the game failed. Getting the ball in overtime the Steelers drove downfield and ended the game on a Jeff Reed field goal, ending the Jets' best chance at a Super Bowl since 1998. The Steelers, however, had been exposed as vulnerable, and a week later in the AFC Championship Game they were shredded 41-27 by the Patriots, who went on to victory in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Injury once again plagued Pennington and 2005 was another lost year with a 4-12 Jets record and yet another season sweep by the Patriots; in a 16-3 win in Foxboro the Pats' Adam Vinatieri passed Patriots legend Gino Cappelletti for first on the team's all-time list for points scored. The Jets responded to the season by releasing Herm Edwards. Despite the sweep of the Jets, the Patriots fell to 10-6 and were bounced by the hated Denver Broncos in the playoffs.

2006-2008: Bill Belichick vs. Eric Mangini

After graduating from Wesleyan University, Eric Mangini was hired as a low-level assistant by the Cleveland Browns, who had former Wesleyan football coach Kevin Spencer on their coaching staff. Also a Wesleyan alumnus, Belichick, then head coach of the Browns, met Mangini in the Browns' 1995 training camp and promoted him to a coaching assistant.^[13] Belichick was fired after the season, and Mangini followed the Browns in their move to Baltimore in 1996 for a single season before re-joining Belichick with the Jets in 1997. When Belichick was hired as head coach of the Patriots in 2000, Mangini followed Belichick to New England, and was named defensive coordinator by the 2005 season.^[13] Following the season, the Patriots granted permission for Mangini to interview for the Jets' vacant head coaching position. The Jets hired Mangini and the Patriots locked Mangini out of Gillette Stadium, not allowing him to retrieve his personal items.^[13]

2006 season

In the second week of the 2006, Mangini referred to Belichick as "a friend" in press conferences, while Belichick refused to use Mangini's name with the media.^[13] Earlier in the week, the Patriots had traded hold-out wide receiver Deion Branch to the Seattle Seahawks and filed tampering charges against the Jets for allegedly engaging in contract talks with Branch while he was still a member of the Patriots. The Jets were later cleared of the charges by the NFL.^[13] The Patriots went on to defeat the Jets in New York, but in November, the Jets handed the Patriots a loss in New England. The post-game on-field meeting between the two in both games was a topic of discussion, with some claiming their handshakes were intentionally cold and unfriendly.^[14] Following the loss the Patriots re-sodded Gillette Stadium's deteriorated grass surface with Field Turf. The Patriots ran away 37-16 in a playoff win over the Jets on the new surface, and following the game Belichick shoved Boston Globe photographer Jim Davis before reaching Mangini and hugging his former assistant.^[15][16]

2007 season

When the Patriots and Jets met again in the first week of the 2007 season, the Patriots won in a runaway, 38-14. The game was highlighted by the first touchdown catches by new Patriots wideouts Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and a 108-yard touchdown on the opening kick of the second half by Ellis Hobbs, setting an NFL record for the longest kickoff return.

After the game, Belichick was accused by the Jets of authorizing his staff to film the Jets' defensive signals from an on-field location, a violation of league rules. The Jets filed a complaint to the league office, detailing the accusations. Two days later, Belichick issued a statement "to apologize to everyone who has been affected;"^[17] he also stated that he had spoken with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about his "interpretation of the rule." On September 13, Belichick was personally fined $500,000, and the team was fined $250,000. Additionally, the Patriots were required to forfeit either their first-round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft if they made the playoffs or their second and third-round selections if they did not.^[18]

Accusations of Jets also illegally videotaping the Patriots in their January 2007 playoff match-up arose following the incident. Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum called the accusations "completely false" in September 2007.^[19] In the week before the teams' December 16, 2007 game, Newsday reported the Jets were found videotaping from the mezzanine level of Gillette Stadium and asked to leave by Patriots security.^[20] The Jets later claimed they had been granted permission by the Patriots to film in the game, while Belichick denied permission was ever given.^[21]

The season rematch in Gillette Stadium took place on a windy, rain-soaked day that kept scoring down; the Patriots nonetheless triumphed 20-10, the 14th consecutive win on their quest for a perfect season.

2008 season

After finishing 2007 at 4-12 the Jets worked the off-season, and their free-agent acquisitions included offensive guard Alan Faneca from the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Brett Favre from the Green Bay Packers. The two clubs met on September 14, 2008 at The Meadowlands but the game's dynamic changed the week before when Tom Brady was knocked out for the season with a torn ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs. Backup Matt Cassel was forced to take over for Brady, and after leading the Patriots to a 17-10 win over the Chiefs Cassel made his first NFL start. Cassel was 16 of 23 for 165 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers; a Sammy Morris rushing touchdown and four Stephen Gostkowski field goals led the Patriots to a 19-10 win as Favre went 18 of 26 for 181 yards and a touchdown but threw a costly interception to Brandon Meriweather, setting up Morris' score.

A bitterly-fought rematch occurred on Thursday Night Football on November 13 at Gillette Stadium. The Jets rushed to a 24-6 lead with five minutes to go in the second quarter and added a touchdown by Thomas Jones in the fourth, but Matt Cassel exploded into a virtual one-man offense, throwing for 400 yards and three touchdowns with no picks while rushing for 64 yards. He threw touchdowns to Jabar Gaffney with fifteen seconds left in the first half, to Benjamin Watson on the final play of the third quarter (and a two-point conversion to Gaffney), and to Randy Moss with one second left to force overtime. But the Jets drove down field in overtime, escaping a third-and-fifteen deep in their territory before Jay Feely's 34-yard game-winning field goal and a 34-31 Jets final. The game was New England's first overtime loss since the 2000 season against the Bills, while the win was the fourth in seven career meetings against the Patriots (his first win in his second meeting as Jets quarterback) by Favre.

The Jets win, though, did not help them in the homestretch of the season, for the Patriots rallied to win five of their last six games (including a 48-28 hammering of Miami the following weekend) while the Jets lost four of their final six games. Both teams faced a do-or-die scenario on December 28; the Patriots traveled to Buffalo needing a win and a Jets win over Miami to win the division; the Jets hosted the Dolphins needing a win and outside help to win the division or secure a Wild Card. The Jets-Dolphins game was flexed by the NFL from a 1 PM start to 4:15, so the Patriots' 13-0 shutout of Buffalo meant the Jets had to win and get a Jaguars upset of Baltimore simultaneously with their game in order to make the playoffs. The Jets rallied to lead 17-14 in the third quarter, but former Jet Chad Pennington led the Dolphins to ten unanswered points and a 24-17 final. Miami thus won the AFC East while New England became the first 11-5 non-playoff team since the '85 Broncos and the Jets responded by firing coach Eric Mangini.

2009 season

The Patriots visited the Jets on September 20, 2009 in New Jersey, the first meeting between the Jets and returning Patriots quarterback Tom Brady as well as the first matchup between Bill Belichick and former Baltimore Ravens coordinator Rex Ryan. In the week prior to the game, Ryan placed a phone message to all Jets season ticket holders asking them to "make it miserable for (Tom) Brady and company," following up on his comments during the offseason that he would not "kiss Bill Belichick's Super Bowl rings." He told the Jets fans that "the Patriots had a better head coach and a better quarterback," but that the game would decide "who has a better team."^[22] Meanwhile, Jets safety Kerry Rhodes said the Jets intended on not just winning, but "embarrassing" the Patriots in the game, while nose tackle Kris Jenkins called it the Jets' version of the Super Bowl; the Jets had not defeated the Patriots at home since 2000.^[23] In the end, the Jets defeated the Patriots 16-9 in the 100th overall meeting of the rivalry series. But it didn't help the Jets in the ensuing season. After beating the Titans as the throwback Houston Oilers in an AFL Legacy game, the Jets lost five of their next six games while the Patriots won five of their next seven games. The Patriots hosted the Jets on November 22 following a stunning last-minute loss in Indianapolis and the Jets were routed 31-14; Mark Sanchez threw four interceptions, three of them to Leigh Bodden while Randy Moss caught a four-yard touchdown in the face of Jets safety Darrelle Revis, who'd been chippy about covering Moss in media coverage in the days before the game. Wes Welker, inactive for the Week Two matchup, erupted with 15 catches (one short of Troy Brown's 2002 record against Kansas City) for 197 yards.

Connections between the two teams

With Parcells, Belichick, and Mangini all acting as coaches on both teams from 1993 through 2008, at least 50 players were also with both teams in the same period. Current Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson was also a player with the Jets under Parcells. Upon becoming Jets head coach in 2006, Mangini hired former Jets and Patriots players Bryan Cox and Rick Lyle to his coaching staff, as well as former Patriot Sam Gash, and retained former Patriots assistant strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul.^[24] Former Patriots wide receivers coach Brian Daboll spent seven seasons with the Patriots before leaving to become the Jets' quarterbacks coach in 2007.^[25] When Daboll left with Mangini for the Cleveland Browns, former Patriots quarterback Matt Cavanaugh was named as Jets quarterbacks coach; ironically, in his playing days with the Patriots Cavanaugh was 0-2 against the Jets.

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. ^[26]

Mike Hickey was an assistant personnel director for the Patriots under Chuck Fairbanks before joining the Jets and running their drafts in the 1980s.

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 goalline pushes in their Super Bowl dynasty.

See also

• Spygate
• Rivalries in the NFL

Notes and references