10 Greatest New York Jets Comeback Victories in Last Decade

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The Jets have won a lot of games over the last decade plus.

The great memories include the Jets' 17-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills in 1998 to clinch the AFC East and the Jets' dominating victory over the Jaguars in the playoffs that year.

How about the Jets' 42-17 thrashing of the Green Bay Packers in 2002 to clinch the division, followed up by a 41-0 clobbering of the Indianapolis Colts the following week?

And, who could forget last season's Week 2 16-9 victory over the New England Patriots, as well as the thrilling 17-14 victory over the Patriots in muddy Foxboro in 2006?

But what all of these games have in common, other than being some of the greatest Jets wins of all time, is that none were of the comeback variety like we have seen from the Jets this season.

With the Jets' thrilling 30-27 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday, it got me thinking back to some of the greatest comebacks in recent memory from this Jets franchise. Remember, the key word is comeback.

Honorable Mention

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1999: Jets 22, Cowboys 21

The Jets trailed the Cowboys 21-13 in the fourth quarter before Ray Lucas led the Jets back to victory in Dallas against the aging Cowboys. Lucas hit Blake Spence from two yards out to cut the deficit to 21-19. After Victor Green picked off Troy Aikman, Lucas led the Jets downfield for the game-winning field goal to beat the Cowboys in Dallas, 22-21.

 

2000: Jets 20, Patriots 19

The Jets had been carved up by Drew Bledsoe and the Patriots on a Monday night in the Meadowlands, trailing 19-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Then the Jets caught fire, as Vinny Testaverde completed two touchdown passes to Wayne Chrebet to beat Bill Belichick in his first game against the Jets as Pats coach. The Jets iced the victory on a couple of sacks of Bledsoe by Sean Ellis and John Abraham.

 

2002: Jets 37, Bills 31

 A back-and-forth opening day affair saw the Bills lead New York 24-20 heading into the fourth quarter. The Jets took the lead 31-24 on a Wayne Chrebet touchdown catch, but Drew Bledsoe led the Bills all the way back, completing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Eric Moulds to tie the game at 31 and send it into OT.

In OT, the Jets ended the game before one could blink when Chad Morton returned the opening OT kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

 

2008: Jets 34, Patriots 31

 The Jets built a 24-6 lead on the Patriots in Foxboro on a Thursday Night, but they watched Matt Cassel lead the Pats back to a 24-all tie with a couple of fourth-quarter touchdown passes. With seemingly no momentum, Brett Favre calmly drove the Jets downfield for a go-ahead score, a Thomas Jones one-yard plunge.

But, with seconds to spare, Cassel hit Randy Moss in the corner of the end zone to force overtime.

In the OT, Favre converted a huge 3rd-and-long with a 16-yard pass to Dustin Keller to move the Jets near midfield. After the Jets drove closer to field-goal range, Jay Feely won the game with a 34-yard field goal.

 

2010: Jets 24, Broncos 20

 The Jets didn't have it against the Broncos. Trailing 20-17 and facing a 4th-and-long inside their own 45-yard line, it appeared that the Jets' four-game winning streak would come to a halt.

Mark Sanchez put up a Hail Mary to Santonio Holmes, hoping that the former Super Bowl MVP would make a play. Instead it was Renaldo Hill who made the play for him, grabbing Holmes' facemask on the way down. Hill was flagged for pass interference, and the Jets were awarded the ball at the Broncos 2-yard line.

LaDainian Tomlinson scored to give New York a 24-20 lead. The Jets defense, which struggled all day, forced a fumble by Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton to win the game.

1997: Glenn Foley Leads Jets Comeback Against Patriots

Wow! An actual photo of the Jets old uniform and Glenn Foley.
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Jets 24, Patriots 19

If you don't remember this game, I can understand. It was 14 years ago, but it was one of the more thrilling comebacks in Jets history.

Back in 1997, Glenn Foley donned the No. 4 jersey, and during that season, then-head coach Bill Parcells leaned on him to be the savior from Neil O'Donnell's abominable play at quarterback.

On a gray November afternoon in East Rutherford, the Jets trailed the division leading Patriots 19-10, thanks to touchdowns by Drew Bledsoe (that's right, Drew Bledsoe) to Troy Brown and Ben Coates, as well as a safety of O'Donnell to build the lead.

With Foley in the game, the Jets put together a furious fourth-quarter comeback, highlighted by a touchdown by Adrian Murrell and a touchdown pass from Foley to Lorenzo Neal.

2002: Laveranues Coles Rolls into End Zone As Jets Stun Denver Broncos

Lavernous Coles biggest catch of his Jets career may have come in 2002.
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Jets 19, Broncos 13

In 2002 the Jets had put themselves in such a hole early in the season that Herman Edwards had to tell people, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE DAMN GAME."

After a 2-5 start, the Jets started playing to win the damn game and had their backs up against the wall every single week. En route to their second division title in a five-year span at the time, the Jets had to get a victory against the Denver Broncos at home.

Gang Green trailed most of the day, losing 13-6 at halftime after Brian Griese hit Ashley Lelie in the end zone to give Denver the lead.

After the Jets cut the deficit to 13-9, Chad Pennington hit Laveranues Coles at the Denver 2-yard line.

Coles fell down on the play, then rolled untouched into the end zone to give Gang Green the lead for good. Giants Stadium went ballistic, and the victory proved to be huge, as it put the Jets at 7-6 on the year and in position to clinch the division later that month.

2009: Jets Stun World and Beat Chargers in Divisional Playoffs

Sanchez to Keller, touchdown in San Diego.

Jets 17, Chargers 14: AFC Divisional Playoff

This really wasn't a comeback, per se, but the Jets trailed the Chargers 7-3 heading into the fourth quarter. Then they exploded for 14 unanswered points to take the lead and stun the Chargers and the entire country as the Jets headed to their first AFC title game in 11 years.

The Chargers were lauded as the best team in the NFL, a team that should challenge if not win the Super Bowl in 2009, yet it was the efforts of the gritty New York Jets, as well as Nate Kaeding's three missed field goals, that did in the Chargers.

If you want to believe that the Jets luck really started to change with this game, go right ahead, because since this game it has been one hell of a ride.

After Phillip Rivers was picked off by Jim Leonard, the Jets put the game in the hands of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez hit Dustin Keller in the corner of the end zone to give the Jets a 10-7 lead. Who knew at the time, that this would become the quarterback's trademark.

Later, Shonn Greene put the game away at 17-7 with a sweeping 53-yard touchdown.

1998: Vinny Testaverde (Maybe) Scores Touchdown Against Seahawks

Jets 32, Seahawks 31

Did he or didn't he?

This play by Vinny Testaverde was what gave the NFL the impetus to bring replay back into the league, as he was stopped short of the goal line in this classic Jets 32-31 victory over the Seahawks in 1998.

After watching Jon Kitna and Joey Galloway torch their secondary, the Jets trailed Seattle 31-19 heading into the fourth quarter. First, Testaverde hit Keyshawn Johnson for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 31-26. Then, in the waning minutes, Testaverde and Jets put together a last-minute drive. 

With just 25 seconds remaining in the game and the ball on the Seattle 5-yard line, Testaverde took the snap and pushed his way up the middle. As he was being tackled from behind, Testaverde tried to reach over the goal line for the touchdown.

His knee was down at the 1-yard line, and the rest of his body and the ball were also short of the goal line, but the referees called it touchdown. The win helped propel the Jets to a seven-game winning streak that took them to the AFC title game. On the other side, it spelled the end of Dennis Erickson in Seattle.

2001: John Hall Kicks Jets into Playoffs at Oakland

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Jets 24, Raiders 22

It was Week 17 of the 2001 season. The Jets were 9-6 and needed a win in Oakland to have a shot at getting into the playoffs. In recent years, playing in Oakland had been a house of horrors for Gang Green, but on this day the Jets were on top of the world.

After Rich Gannon led the Raiders to a 10-point comeback in the second half to erase a Jets 14-9 lead and give Oakland a 19-14 advantage in the fourth quarter, the Jets needed some big plays.

LaMont Jordan provided the jolt with a 46-yard touchdown run to give the Jets a 21-19 lead, but Gannon moved the Raiders right down the field to kick a go-ahead field goal at 22-21.

Vinny Testaverde led the Jets back down field in the final minutes, giving way to John Hall, who booted a 53-yard field goal with just seconds remaining to propel the Jets into the playoffs with a 24-22 victory.

1998: Jets Comeback To Beat Chiefs in Rain-Soaked Arrowhead

Jets 20, Chiefs 17

It was a battle of attrition in Kansas City back in 1998. A torrential downpour had become the lead character in the Jets/Chiefs midseason battle, as Gang Green looked to build some momentum after a sluggish start to the season.

The score was deadlocked at 10 going into the fourth quarter, before Kansas City took the lead on a Donnell Bennett one-yard run. Kansas City had been known for having the best home-field advantage in the NFL, and at the time had one of the league's longest home winning streaks on the line.

The Jets decided to break their hearts in the fourth quarter. Midway through the quarter, Vinny Testaverde hit Kyle Brady for a 20-yard score to tie the game again at 17. Both teams would slip and slide through the mud for much of the quarter.

Luckily for the Jets, they were able to get the ball back late in the game, and they drove the ball deep into Kansas City territory. Bill Parcells elected to run the clock down to 0:01 second remaining before sending out John Hall to kick the field goal.

With the rain pouring down even harder, and the wind gusting all over the park, Hall drilled a 32-yard field goal to give the Jets a thrilling win, in a game considered the turning point of the Jets magical 1998 season.

2000: Flashlight Game: Chrebet Sticks It To Keyshawn Johnson and Tampa Bay Bucs

Jets 21, Buccaneers 17

When you look up redemption in the dictionary, a picture of Wayne Chrebet making a touchdown catch in Tampa Bay should be in there.

During the week leading up to the Jets-Buccaneers game, former Jets receiver Keyshawn Johnson made it known that he felt disrespected by Bill Parcells, Al Groh and Jets for letting him go, and favoring Wayne Chrebet, whom he called a "flashlight" that could not outshine Johnson's bright stardom.

The Jets trailed Tampa Bay 17-6 for most of the afternoon.

Vinny Testaverde was awful, throwing three interceptions against his old team. The Jets defense bent, but didn't break too much against the Buccaneers power running-styled offense.

Then the miracle happened.

First it was Curtis Martin's six-yard touchdown reception from Testaverde midway through the fourth quarter to cut the Bucs lead to 17-14.

With two minutes to go, the Jets pulled one out of their hats when Martin attempted the halfback option play, throwing it 18 yards downfield to a wide open Chrebet, who made the catch, midair, in the end zone for the game-winning score.

The Jets forced the Buccaneers into a fumble and a turnover, and the Jets danced their way to a 4-0 start in 2000.

As for Keyshawn, he was held to one catch for one yard.

2010: Jets Outlast Browns In Overtime Thriller

Jets vs. Browns in OT

Jets 26, Brown 20

It was just last week, and already it was good enough for a spot in the top five.

The Jets had the Browns right where they wanted them, but two missed field goals by Nick Folk kept Cleveland in the game at 20-13.

Colt McCoy drove Cleveland downfield, culminating in a Mohamed Massaquoi touchdown to tie the game at 20.

Then it got really bizarre.

First McCoy hit Chansi Stuckey for a huge gain to the Jets 35-yard line, but the former Jets receiver was stripped of the football by Drew Coleman, giving the Jets the football back. 

Later in the OT, Mark Sanchez somehow alluded a sack and hit Jerricho Cotchery for a first down at midfield. What was great about that play was the fact that Cotchery had injured his groin, yet still had enough presence of mind to leap into the air to make that catch.

The drive would result in a Jets missed field goal, giving Cleveland another shot.

After both teams failed to move the ball, Cleveland got the ball back at their own 2-yard line, thanks to a horrible mistake by the Browns corner, who picked off a Sanchez pass instead of knocking it down to force a Jets punt.

Anyway, the Jets sacked McCoy at the Browns 3-yard line, forced them to punt and Santonio Holmes did the rest. Watch above.

2010: Houston We Have a Problem

Jets Leave us breathless again.

Jets 30, Texans 27

What can I say.

I was in the building, and once the Houston Texans took a 24-23 lead to erase the Jets 23-7 advantage, more than half the stadium cleared out for the parking lot. My friend and I sat waiting for the axe to fall on the Jets; we feared we were about to witness another horrific Jets defeat.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Mark Sanchez hit Braylon Edwards in stride at the Texans 10-yard line, a 42-yard gain that gave the Jets a chance with 10 seconds to play. Then Sanchez hit Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone for the game-winning score. 

The New Meadowlands went completely ballistic, ending what had to be one of the most improbable victories in Jets history.

2000: Jumbo Elliot and the Monday Night Miracle at the Meadowlands

The Greatest Jets comeback EVER!

It was a Monday Night unlike any other.

Trailing 30-7 to the Miami Dolphins, the New York Jets appeared dead in the water. When Vinny Testaverde hit Laveranues Coles for a touchdown to cut the lead to 30-13, it appeared it was just a silly touchdown to make the final outcome look better than it really was.

Once the Jets scored on their next drive, a touchdown pass to Jermaine Wiggins, to cut the deficit to 10, the possibility that the Jets could still tie the game was out there for the taking.

Later in the quarter, the Jets completed the first part of the comeback when Testaverde hit Wayne Chrebet in stride in the end zone to tie the game at 30, sending Giants Stadium into bedlam.

However, the Dolphins would not shrink under the pressure of a Jets turnaround. Jay Fielder rolled right and hit a wide open Leslie Shepard for a 46-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins a 37-30 lead.

With time ticking away, the Jets got one more shot to tie it. They drove the ball down to the Dolphins goal line and tried to ram Curtis Martin, but he couldn't get in. The Jets decided to gamble, making left tackle Jumbo Elliot an eligible receiver, with the intention to get the ball to him if he were open.

Testaverde dropped back and dumped the ball into the hands of Elliot, who juggled the ball and caught it for the tying touchdown, his first and only career touchdown catch.

In overtime, Marcus Coleman picked off Fielder, but he was immediately stripped of the football, giving the Dolphins the football back at the 40. Fortunately for the Jets, Coleman picked off the next Fielder pass, giving the Jets one more shot.

After driving into Dolphins territory, the Jets ended the madness with a 40-yard John Hall field goal to win the most memorable, if not greatest, comeback in Jets history.