1998 New York Jets season

1998 season of NFL team New York Jets November 2013 March 2026 New York Jets 1998 12–4 1st AFC East Bill Parcells Charlie Weis Bill Belichick Leon Hess Giants Stadium Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Jaguars) 34–24Lost AFC Championship(at Broncos) 10–23 QB Vinny TestaverdeRB Curtis MartinWR Keyshawn JohnsonLB Mo LewisCB Aaron Glenn Jets uniforms12.png Jets seasons 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 historyThe 1997 Packers are the other to win seven games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs.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. 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. Additions Subtractions QB Vinny Testaverde (Ravens) QB Neil O'Donnell (Bengals) RB Curtis Martin (Patriots) RB Adrian Murrell (Cardinals) LB Bryan Cox (Dolphins) WR Jeff Graham (Eagles) C Kevin Mawae (Seahawks) FB Lorenzo Neal (Buccaneers) DE Anthony Pleasant (Falcons) DE Hugh Douglas (Eagles) C Roger Duffy (Steelers) G Lonnie Palelei (Giants) NFL draft 1998 NFL draft 1998 New York Jets 2 56 Dorian Boose DE Washington State from Pittsburgh no yes 3 67 Scott Frost QB/S Nebraska from St. Louis no yes 3 87 Kevin Williams FS Oklahoma State from Pittsburgh no yes 4 111 Jason Fabini OT Cincinnati no yes 5 134 Casey Dailey LB Northwestern from Philadelphia no yes 5 141 Doug Karczewski G Virginia no no 5 146 Blake Spence TE Oregon from Tampa Bay no yes 5 149 Eric Bateman G BYU from Pittsburgh no no 6 163 Eric Ogbogu DE Maryland from Philadelphia no yes 6 174 Chris Brazzell WR Angelo State no no 6 183 Dustin Johnson RB BYU from Denver no no 7 195 Lawrence Hart TE Southern from St. Louis no no no no Undrafted free agents + 1998 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeGeno BellDefensive tackleArkansasShannon BrownDefensive tackleAlabamaCedric DonaldsonCornerbackLouisiana TechNakia JenkinsWide receiverUtah StateKeith LowzowskiFullbackNorthwesternJohn MunchLinebackerIllinois WesleyanBrian MussoWide receiverNorthwesternVictor TuatagaloaDefensive tackleHenderson StateDavid VigerDefensive tackleNavy 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 28 Curtis Martin 22 Dave Meggett PR 33 Jerald Sowell FB Wide receivers 80 Wayne Chrebet 19 Keyshawn Johnson 86 Alex Van Dyke 89 Dedric Ward PR Tight ends 84 Fred Baxter 88 Kyle Brady 82 Blake Spence Offensive linemen 66 Alex Bernstein G 65 Jim Bundren G 62 Todd Burger G 76 Jumbo Elliott T 69 Jason Fabini T 67 Mike Gisler C/G 71 Kerry Jenkins G/T 60 Doug Karczewski 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/DT 93 Ernie Logan DT 95 Rick Lyle DE 99 Eric Ogbogu DE 98 Anthony Pleasant DE Linebackers 53 Chad Cascadden OLB 51 Bryan Cox OLB 58 James Farrior OLB 54 Dwayne Gordon MLB/OLB 50 Rob Holmberg MLB 52 Pepper Johnson MLB 57 Mo Lewis OLB Defensive backs 44 Corwin Brown CB/S 42 Marcus Coleman CB 47 Scott Frost FS 31 Aaron Glenn CB/KR 21 Victor Green SS 30 Chris Hayes SS 26 Jerome Henderson FS 24 Ray Mickens CB 45 Otis Smith CB 23 Kevin Williams FS/KR Special teams  9 John Hall K 65 John Hudson LS 17 John Kidd P Reserve lists 94 Casey Dailey LB (IR) 7px 78 Terry Day DE (IR) 7px 32 Leon Johnson RB (IR) 7px 55 Marvin Jones LB (IR) 7px 56 Craig Powell LB (IR) 7px 96 David Viger DT (Military Reserve) 7px Practice squad 61 Geno Bell DT 87 Chris Brazzell WR 34 Robert Farmer RB 83 Lawrence Hart TE 81 Brian Musso WR 53 active, 6 inactive, 5 practice squad rookies in italics 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 5 October 4 Miami DolphinsW 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, 1998 at New England PatriotsW 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, 1998 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 Season summary Week 1 at 49ers 1998 San Francisco 49ers season New York Jets 1998 2; text-align:center collapsed Week One: New York Jets (0–0) at San Francisco 49ers (0–0) September 6, 1998 4:15 p.m. EST Jets 3 14 7 6 0 49ers 7 7 9 7 6 3Com Park, San Francisco, California 64,419 Sunny • 71 F C 1 • Wind 14 mph km/h knots Bernie Kukar CBS Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian FootballDB.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com 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 8 vs Falcons New York Jets 1998 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets October 25, 1998 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 1:00 p.m. EST Falcons 0 3 0 0 Jets 7 7 14 0 71,573 65 F C 1, relative humidity 46%, wind 11 mph km/h knots NFL Scores https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199810250nyj.htm Pro Football Reference Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets – October 25th, 1998 First quarter NYJ – Curtis Martin 2-yard rush (John Hall kick). Jets 7–0 Second quarter NYJ – Jerome Henderson 53-yard defensive fumble return (John Hall kick). Jets 14–0 ATL – Morten Andersen 53-yard field goal, 0:01. Jets 14–3 Third quarter NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson 12-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (John Hall kick). Jets 21–3 NYJ – Keith Byars 22-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (John Hall kick). Jets 28–3 Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers ATL – Steve DeBerg – 9/20, 117 yards, INT NYJ – Vinny Testaverde – 16/29, 206 yards, 2 TD Top rushers ATL – Jamal Anderson – 19 rushes, 46 yards NYJ – Curtis Martin – 25 rushes, 101 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Bob Christian, 3 receptions, 43 yards NYJ – Wayne Chrebet, 4 receptions, 54 yards With Chris Chandler having injured his shoulder, the Falcons start 44-year-old Steve DeBerg, who had last played in the NFL in 1993 and became the oldest player to start an NFL game since Bobby Marshall in 1925.Amore Dom Under His Leadership, Jets Have It Together Hartford Courant October 26, 1998 C1, C6 Bill Belichick's Jets shut down the Falcons' powerful running game with a nine-man defensive line, and DeBerg and reserve left-hander Tony Graziani cannot cope with the Jets' pass rush.Amore Dom Elder Not Treated with Respect Hartford Courant 26 October 1998 C6 Week 11 at Colts New York Jets 1998 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Eleven: New York Jets (6–3) at Indianapolis Colts (1–8) November 15, 1998 1:00 p.m. Jets 3 20 0 0 Colts 10 0 7 7 RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana 55,520 Indoors (dome) CBS Ian Eagle & Mark May Box Score, Box Score left New York Jets 1998thru2018 Jets Indianapolis Colts 1984thru2001 Colts Vinny Testaverde 12/28, 249 Yds, TD, INT Curtis Martin 28 Rush, 134 Yds Wayne Chrebet 4 Rec, 112 Yds, TD Peyton Manning 26/44, 276 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT Marshall Faulk 20 Rush, 69 Yds Marvin Harrison 9 Rec, 128 Yds, TD nfl NYJ IND collapsed 1 10:17 Colts 7 19 2:36 FG 31 Mike Vanderjagt 0 3 1 6:39 Jets 7 38 3:38 FG 37 John Hall 3 3 1 3:25 Colts 6 40 3:14 RecTD Torrance Small Peyton Manning 4 good Mike Vanderjagt run/pass good/failed/incomplete 3 10 2 14:02 Jets 7 74 4:23 RecTD Wayne Chrebet Vinny Testaverde 63 good John Hall run/pass good/failed/incomplete 10 10 2 8:31 Jets 8 60 3:44 FG 40 John Hall 13 10 2 0:22 Jets 12 62 5:00 FG 25 John Hall 16 10 2 0:00 Jets Other Missed field goal returned 104 yards for touchdown by Aaron Glenn, John Hall kick good 23 10 3 6:28 Colts 4 49 1:32 RecTD Marvin Harrison Peyton Manning 38 good Mike Vanderjagt run/pass good/failed/incomplete 23 17 4 0:24 Colts 15 80 2:40 RecTD Marcus Pollard Peyton Manning 14 good Mike Vanderjagt run/pass good/failed/incomplete 23 24 23 24 Playoffs Game summaries AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs (3) Jacksonville Jaguars New York Jets; New York Jets;text-align:center; autocollapse AFC Divisional Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets – Game summary January 10, 1999 The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey 28 F C 1 relative humidity 53%, wind 17 mph km/h knots, wind chill 16 F C 1 12:40 p.m. PDT CBS Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, and Michele Tafoya Jaguars 0 7 7 10 Jets 7 10 14 3 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 31–14. 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 34–24. 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 New York Jets 2;text-align:center; autocollapse AFC Championship Game: New York Jets at Denver Broncos – Game summary January 17, 1999 2:05 p.m. MDT Jets 0 3 7 0 Broncos 0 0 20 3 Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado 37 °F °C 1, relative humidity 36%, wind 20 mph km/h knot CBS Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian, and Bonnie Bernstein 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 note References External links 1998 team stats 1998 New York Jets video Category:AFC East championship seasons Category:New York Jets seasons New York Jets New York Jets season Category:20th century in East Rutherford, New Jersey Category:Meadowlands Sports Complex