1986 New York Jets season

The 1986 New York Jets season was the 27th season for the team and the seventeenth in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 11–5 record from 1985 and return to the playoffs under head coach Joe Walton. The Jets finished the season with a record of 10–6, qualifying for the top Wild Card spot in the playoffs despite losing their last five games of the season. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round, but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round. The loss to the Browns is infamous in Jets history. Leading 20–10 in the 4th quarter, the Jets collapsed when Mark Gastineau hammered Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar seconds after he released a pass; Gastineau was flagged for roughing the passer and the Browns rallied to force overtime and win early in the game's second overtime.

1986 New York Jets season
Head coach	Joe Walton
Owner	Leon Hess
Home field	Giants Stadium
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	2nd AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (Chiefs) 35–15 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Browns) 23–20
Pro Bowlers	TE Mickey Shuler WR Al Toon

The Week 3 game against Miami was memorable as Ken O'Brien and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino fought a wild shootout that culminated in the Jets winning 51–45 in overtime. Marino threw for 448 yards and six TD passes while O'Brien accumulated 479 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception for what would statistically be the best game of his career.

Offseason

Roster

1986 New York Jets final roster

	Quarterbacks  7 Ken O'Brien 10 Pat Ryan Running backs 31 Marion Barber Jr. 34 Johnny Hector 24 Freeman McNeil 49 Tony Paige FB Wide receivers 87 Kurt Sohn 88 Al Toon 83 Jo-Jo Townsell 85 Wesley Walker Tight ends 81 Billy Griggs 89 Rocky Klever 82 Mickey Shuler		Offensive linemen 60 Dan Alexander G 63 Ted Banker G 64 Guy Bingham C 65 Joe Fields G 79 Mike Haight T 68 Reggie McElroy T 53 Jim Sweeney C Defensive linemen 78 Barry Bennett DE 99 Mark Gastineau DE 73 Joe Klecko DT 93 Marty Lyons DE 76 Ben Rudolph DT		Linebackers 51 Rogers Alexander 54 Troy Benson 59 Kyle Clifton 50 Bob Crable 55 Charles Jackson 57 Kevin McArthur 56 Lance Mehl Defensive backs 27 Russell Carter CB 33 Robert Ducksworth 39 Harry Hamilton FS 47 Jerry Holmes CB 28 Carl Howard CB 26 Lester Lyles SS 29 Johnnie Lynn 36 Rich Miano 20 Davlin Mullen CB Special teams 13 Dave Jennings P  5 Pat Leahy K		Reserve lists 35 Kerry Glenn CB (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics active, inactive, practice squad

Depth chart

Defense 1986 New York Jets roster CB Jerry Holmes ⋅ CB Russell Carter ⋅ Offense 1986 New York Jets roster WR Al Toon ⋅ LT LG C RG RT Jim Sweeney Ted Banker Joe Fields Dan Alexander Reggie McElroy ⋅ ⋅ Guy Bingham ⋅ Gordon King TE Mickey Shuler Rocky Klever WR Wesley Walker ⋅ QB Ken O'Brien ⋅ RB Freeman McNeil Johnny Hector FB Tony Paige ⋅ Special Teams PK Pat Leahy P Dave Jennings KR Bobby Humphery PR Kurt Sohn

Schedule

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Attendance
1	September 7, 1986	at Buffalo Bills	W 28–24	Rich Stadium	79,951
2	September 11, 1986	New England Patriots	L 20–6	The Meadowlands	72,422
3	September 21, 1986	Miami Dolphins	W 51–45 (OT)	The Meadowlands	71,025
4	September 28, 1986	at Indianapolis Colts	W 26–7	Hoosier Dome	56,075
5	October 5, 1986	Buffalo Bills	W 14–13	The Meadowlands	69,504
6	October 12, 1986	at New England Patriots	W 31–24	Sullivan Stadium	60,342
7	October 20, 1986	Denver Broncos	W 22–10	The Meadowlands	73,759
8	October 26, 1986	New Orleans Saints	W 28–23	The Meadowlands	44,246
9	November 2, 1986	at Seattle Seahawks	W 38–7	Kingdome	62,497
10	November 9, 1986	at Atlanta Falcons	W 28–14	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	53,476
11	November 16, 1986	Indianapolis Colts	W 31–16	The Meadowlands	65,149
12	November 24, 1986	at Miami Dolphins	L 45–3	Miami Orange Bowl	70,206
13	November 30, 1986	Los Angeles Rams	L 17–3	The Meadowlands	70,539
14	December 7, 1986	at San Francisco 49ers	L 24–10	Candlestick Park	58,091
15	December 13, 1986	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 45–24	The Meadowlands	58,044
16	December 21, 1986	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 52–21	Riverfront Stadium	51,619

Game summaries

Week 1 at Bills

See also: 1986 Buffalo Bills season

New York Jets (0–0) at Buffalo Bills (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	7	7	0	14	28
Bills	7	3	0	14	24

at Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York

• Date: September 7
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C) • Wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
• Game attendance: 79,951
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Griese
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Jets Ken O'Brien 18/25, 318 Yds, 2 TD Freeman McNeil 21 Rush, 72 Yds Al Toon 6 Rec, 119 Yds, TD Bills Jim Kelly 20/33, 292 Yds, 3 TD Greg Bell 17 Rush, 44 Yds Andre Reed 5 Rec, 95 Yds, TD

The Jets spoiled the debut of Bills quarterback Jim Kelly.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NYJ BUF 1 8:55 Bills Bell 2-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Norwood kick good 0 7 1 6:14 Jets Paige 2-yard touchdown run, Leahy kick good 7 7 2 3:51 Jets Toon 46-yard touchdown reception from O'Brien, Leahy kick good 14 7 2 3:05 Bills 19-yard field goal by Norwood 14 10 4 14:00 Bills Reed 55-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Norwood kick good 14 17 4 9:58 Jets Hector 1-yard touchdown run, Leahy kick good 21 17 4 5:24 Jets Walker 71-yard touchdown reception from O'Brien, Leahy kick good 28 17 4 3:55 Bills Metzelaars 4-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Norwood kick good 28 24 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 28 24

Week 2: vs. New England Patriots

The NFL scheduled the Jets to host the Patriots in a rare Thursday night game. The Jets were limited to two field goals as Tony Collins caught two touchdowns in a 20–6 Jets loss where the two teams combined for just 486 yards of offense.

Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins

1 2 3 4 OT Total Dolphins 7 14 17 7 0 45 • Jets 3 28 0 14 6 51 Date: September 21 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn) Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Merlin Olsen Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 Jets Pat Leahy 32-yard field goal Jets 3–0 1 Dolphins James Pruitt 6-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick) Dolphins 7–3 2 Jets Johnny Hector 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick) Jets 10–7 2 Jets Johnny Hector 8-yard run (Pat Leahy kick) Jets 17–7 2 Dolphins Dan Johnson 1-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick) Jets 17–14 2 Dolphins Mark Duper 13-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick) Dolphins 21–17 2 Jets Wesley Walker 65-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick) Jets 24–21 2 Jets Wesley Walker 50-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick) Jets 31–21 3 Dolphins Mark Duper 46-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick) Jets 31–28 3 Dolphins Fuad Reveiz 44-yard field goal Tie 31–31 3 Dolphins Bruce Hardy 1-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick) Dolphins 38–31 4 Jets Dennis Bligen 7-yard run (Pat Leahy kick) Tie 38–38 4 Dolphins Mark Clayton 4-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick) Dolphins 45–38 4 Jets Wesley Walker 21-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick) Tie 45–45 OT Jets Wesley Walker 43-yard pass from Ken O'Brien Jets 51–45

Statistics

• Ken O'Brien 29/43, 479 Yds, 4 TD, INT
• Wesley Walker 6 Rec, 194 Yds, 4 TD
• Al Toon 7 Rec, 111 Yds

The Jets-Dolphins rivalry reached an apex in this Week 3 matchup as Ken O'Brien and Dan Marino unleashed ten combined touchdowns, the last a 43-yard score to Wesley Walker and a 51–45 overtime win for the Jets.

Week 4: at Indianapolis Colts

The two teams combined for six fumbles and three interceptions as Pat Leahy booted four field goals and Ken O'Brien had a touchdown throw for the Jets’ 26–7 win.

Week 5: vs. Buffalo Bills

The Jets limited Jim Kelly to 211 yards, one touchdown, and one interception as Mickey Shuler caught the winning 36-yard touchdown for a 14–13 New York win.

Week 6: at New England Patriots

Johnny Hector and Steve Grogan had memorable performances as the Jets raced to a 24–0 halftime lead. Subbing for injured Tony Eason, Grogan stormed the Patriots back in the second half with three touchdowns and a career-high 401 passing yards. Hector, with a career-high 143 rushing yards, also scored three times, and in the final minute Grogan completed a deep pass to Irving Fryar, but Fryar fumbled to the Jets, ending a 31–24 Jets win.

Week 7: Monday Night Football at Denver Broncos

The two teams used four quarterbacks (John Elway, Gary Kubiak, Ken O'Brien, and Pat Ryan) and combined for ten quarterback sacks, 22 penalties (for 172 yards), and just 490 yards of offense as the Jets ran away with a 22-10 win.

Week 8: vs. New Orleans Saints

Despite being shut out 17–0 in the fourth quarter, the Jets beat the Saints 28–23. Al Toon caught three touchdowns against his son's future team and Freeman McNeil added a fourth score. The Jets grabbed three fumbles and picked off the Saints twice.

Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks

Gale Gilbert was intercepted twice as the Jets crushed the Seahawks 38–7. Ken O'Brien threw for 431 yards and four touchdowns as the Jets put up 553 yards of offense.

Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons

Three Ken O'Brien touchdowns in the second quarter were enough to upend the Falcons in a 28–14 final. O'Brien and Falcons quarterback David Archer combined for 672 passing yards.

Week 11: vs. Indianapolis Colts

The Jets picked off Jack Trudeau four times and won 31–16, their ninth straight win putting them at a seemingly commanding 10–1.

Week 12: Monday Night Football at Miami Dolphins

Mounting injuries for the Jets had steadily weakened the club and the repercussions began in a 45–3 massacre by the Dolphins in Miami. Dan Marino tossed four touchdowns and Lorenzo Hampton blasted to 188 all-purpose yards and three scores. Ken O'Brien completed just 11 of 21 passes with an interception, and Pat Ryan took over under center but was picked off himself; the Jets also fumbled twice.

Week 13: vs. LA Rams

Three years after the infamous set-to between Jackie Slater and Mark Gastineau the Rams returned to The Meadowlands and won 17–3. Despite 350 yards of offense the Jets managed the one field goal while coughing up four turnovers and committing eight penalties to one Rams foul.

Week 14: at San Francisco 49ers

Four Niners backs (including ex-Buffalo Bill Joe Cribbs) rushed for 198 yards and three scores as the Niners won 24–10, knocking the Jets to 10–4.

Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

In a Saturday NFL doubleheader with the Broncos–Redskins game following, the Jets hosted the Steelers and were buried 45–24. Ken O'Brien and Pat Ryan combined for 262 yards and two touchdowns but were intercepted three times as five Steelers backs rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

Week 16: at Cincinnati Bengals

The AFC East slipped away from the Jets as they were crushed 52–21 by the Bengals. Boomer Esiason exploded to five touchdowns as the Jets had to settle for a wildcard playoff spot.

Postseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Attendance
WC	December 28, 1986	Kansas City Chiefs	W 35–15	The Meadowlands	69,307
Div	January 3, 1987	at Cleveland Browns	L 23–20 (2OT)	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	78,106

AFC Wild Card Playoffs

Wild Card vs Kansas City Chiefs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	6	0	0	9	15
Jets	7	14	7	7	35

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: December 28, 1986
• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 75,212
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Griese

• Scoring
  • KC – Smith 1 run (kick failed)
  • NYJ – McNeil 4 run (Leahy kick)
  • NYJ – McNeil 1 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)
  • NYJ – Toon 11 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)
  • NYJ – McArthur 21 interception return (Leahy kick)
  • KC – Lewis recovered blocked punt in end zone (Lowery kick)
  • NYJ – Griggs 6 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)
  • KC – Safety, Jennings ran out of end zone

AFC Divisional Playoff

Cleveland Browns 23, New York Jets 20 (2OT)

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
Jets	7	3	3	7	0	0	20
Browns	7	3	0	10	0	3	23

at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 79,720
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
New England Patriots^(3)	11	5	0	.688	7–1	8–4	412	307	W1
New York Jets^(4)	10	6	0	.625	6–2	8–4	364	386	L5
Miami Dolphins	8	8	0	.500	5–3	6–6	430	405	L1
Buffalo Bills	4	12	0	.250	1–7	3–11	287	348	L3
Indianapolis Colts	3	13	0	.188	1–7	2–10	229	400	W3

References

External links

• 1986 statistics