I don't remember all of the particulars (I was only 9 at the time!), but it looks like you are right. The Jets had a 7-2-1 record after 10 games, one game ahead of the (then) Houston Oilers in the AFL East. The Jets finished the season in 2nd place at 8-5-1, and out of the playoffs, one game behind the Oilers. 1967 New York Jets Statistics | Schedule and Game Results That was the year that Namath had 4007 passing yards.
That was a tough loss, but for me it's not even the toughest loss against Pittsburgh. The divisional game in 2004, when Doug Brien missed two field goals in the final minutes, that was far more heartbreaking to me. Cleveland in 1986, don't know how many guys are old enough to have lived through that one, that was extremely hearrbreaking. The mud bowl, might be the most heartbreaking one ever. Hell, Denver in 1998-9 was a killer, that team was built to win and they had a 10-0 lead in the third quarter. So friggin many. It's really sad that we can't even decide on one because there are so many.
Yes!!! That 1981 game was the first kick in the nuts from this team. I didn't know better at the time, that was my first season following them and they came all the way back from 0-3 to make the playoffs, what the hell did I know what I was in store for?
The correct answer is the Gastineau roughing the passer against the Browns in 1986. Everything else is second place.
Most of the ones mentioned -- 1981, 1983 Mud Bowl, 1986 Gastineau, 1999 Denver -- I lived through. Here's one many of you probably don't recall: the follow-up to SB3....the Shea Stadium lost to Kansas City in the playoffs for 1969. I remember they got like 63,000 fans into Shea Stadium and it only held 56,000 or something like that.
Call me crazy, but the Doug Brien game. Funny enough, I actually heard that son of a birch John Abraham on Bitch Cimini’s podcast this week. The same John Abraham who -if memory serves-was injured () and was a guest analyst who picked NYJ(his current team) to lose to San Diego the week prior or the Steelers in this game. But if they got Abe back that next week, and admittedly they probably woulda lost to the Pats, but I really wanted to see it!
That ‘04 team should get more credit btw, I never hear them mentioned when people bring up failed opportunities!
