1998 New York Jets season
| 1998 New York Jets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bill Parcells |
| Owner | Leon Hess |
| Home field | Giants Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Won Divisional Playoffs (Jaguars) 34–24 Lost Conference Championship (Broncos) 23–10 |
| Uniform | |
 |
|
The 1998 New York Jets season was the 39th season for the team and the 29th in the National Football League. The team improved on its previous season by three games, finishing 12–4 in their second season under head coach Bill Parcells, 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 in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Their attempt to reach their first Super Bowl in thirty years fell short when they lost to John Elway and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game 23–10.
The 1998 Jets are one of only two teams in NFL history to win seven games against teams that would go on to make the playoffs.
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.
...
Wikipedia