Professional Football Researchers Association Forum
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Teo wrote:In 1986 the New York Jets started 10-1 and were atop the AFC standings. Then they managed to lose their last five games (in three of those their opponents scored 45+ points). They managed to host the Wildcard game, were they beat the Chiefs, then they lost at the top-seeded Browns in the classic 2-OT divisional playoff game. If they had managed two victories in their last 5 games they would've had home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Which would have sent New England (assuming they beat KC) to Cleveland and Denver to the Meadowlands. Interestingly, if KC won, Denver would have headed to Cleveland one week earlier.
(Sidenote though- had Kevin Butler missed a FG against Detroit that same day with 4 seconds left, both losses cancel out and the MNF finale is still winner-take all.)
Or, if Chris Spielman didn't drop an INT on Chicago's final drive.
sheajets wrote:2001. Jets were up on NE fairly comfortably 16-7 late in the 3rd. Testaverde's INT's helped NE back in and they took advantage. Won 17-16. Later that year the Jets lost a horrible 14-9 game to Buffalo who was 3-13.
Win one or the other and the Jets win the division in 2001. Instead they were a 10-6 wild card who went to Oakland and lost.
They were up 16-7 late in the third? I didn't know that. If they win that, they are the two seed since they beat the Raiders in Week 17, and they swept the Dolphins (both would have finished 11-5). In the WC round, the Raiders would have been hosting six-seed NE, and the Ravens would have still went to Miami (NE and BAL both would have been 10-6, but Baltimore would have had the better conference record.)
The Ravens beat Miami in reality, and the Raiders would have taken care of NE at home, taking away their first SB run (which would have had huge butterflies. Tom Brady's legacy isn't the same today without the early SB wins. I don't see them winning in 03 and 04 if they don't win in 2001).
In the end, I think you see a Jet-Steeler AFC Title Game, and the Steelers end up winning. However, Kordell gets exposed in the Super Bowl (two costly late INT's by Aeneas Williams and Tommy Polley), and the Rams win 28-21.
Likely scenario. The Jets have beaten Pittsburgh in exactly 1 big game in their history. No way they go to Pitt and win.
sheajets wrote:2001. Jets were up on NE fairly comfortably 16-7 late in the 3rd. Testaverde's INT's helped NE back in and they took advantage. Won 17-16. Later that year the Jets lost a horrible 14-9 game to Buffalo who was 3-13.
Win one or the other and the Jets win the division in 2001. Instead they were a 10-6 wild card who went to Oakland and lost.
That is one of my most hated games. If Herman Edwards and Paul Hackett played to win the game in the second half and the Jets won, and everything else that happened later in the regular season happened the same way, then the Jets would have hosted a blizzard playoff game. I am almost certain the NFL would have scheduled the Jets game as a night game in the same slot as the Tuck Rule Game.
sheajets wrote:2001. Jets were up on NE fairly comfortably 16-7 late in the 3rd. Testaverde's INT's helped NE back in and they took advantage. Won 17-16. Later that year the Jets lost a horrible 14-9 game to Buffalo who was 3-13.
Win one or the other and the Jets win the division in 2001. Instead they were a 10-6 wild card who went to Oakland and lost.
That is one of my most hated games. If Herman Edwards and Paul Hackett played to win the game in the second half and the Jets won, and everything else that happened later in the regular season happened the same way, then the Jets would have hosted a blizzard playoff game. I am almost certain the NFL would have scheduled the Jets game as a night game in the same slot as the Tuck Rule Game.