New York Jets vs Seattle Seahawks Matchup
The 1980 comedy movie Airplane! had this hilarious line, “Flying a plane is no different than riding a bicycle, just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes.”
The Jets were originally named this since they’d be playing close to LaGuardia Airport in New York. Coincidentally, they didn’t need to use that airport very often. Founded in 1960, they played a decade in the AFL before the merger. They were also the first AFL team to beat an NFL team. The Jets shocked the world with their massive upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Since that historic moment, their plane has been going down. They’ve never been back to the Super Bowl and have made the playoffs 13 times.
As the sole team in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Seahawks are quite familiar with plane rides. They constantly log the most miles traveled. Their isolation does give them an advantage too. They draw support from many states in the region who don’t have professional teams. This spawned a crazy group of fans called “The 12th Man” that set decibel World Records twice. The Seahawks first started in the AFC and are the only team in NFL history to make the conference championship game from both conferences.
The History
These teams have played 21 times. Seattle holds the win advantage with 13 . The point differential is a small margin of 58 points. Seahawks have scored 414 and the Jets 356.
The first matchup was in 1977. Seattle @ New York. The Seahawks flew cross country and won 17-0. Their most recent matchup in the end of 2022 season was an ugly game. I remember changing the channel to find a more exciting game almost immediately. Seattle won 23-6.
Best Games
In 1985, the Jets were facing the Seahawks for the eighth time. Previously, they had never beaten them. It looked like another easy Seattle victory when they returned a fumble 79 yards to go up 14-0 at halftime. Then the Jets defense showed up. They didn’t allow the Seahawks to score another point. New York scored 17 straight points to win the game 17-14. Their first ever victory over Seattle!
The closest and highest scoring game in this series took place in 1998. The Seahawks led 14-7 after the first quarter. They connected on two TD bombs of 70 and 57 yards. Seattle led 21-13 at half and looked to be putting the game away after a pick six early in the third. The Jets entered the fourth quarter down 31-19. They scored 13 unanswered points including a QB rushing TD with 20 seconds left to win the game 32-31.
Greatest Players
Jets
- Joe Namath: 1x Super Bowl MVP, franchise leader in pass yds (27,057) & pass TDs (170), first QB to pass for 4,000 yds in a season
- Don Maynard: Franchise leader in rec yds (11,732), rec TDs (88) & receptions (627), retired as the NFL leader in rec yds & receptions
- Curtis Martin: Franchise leader in rush yds (10,302) & rush TDs (58)
- Mark Gastineau: Franchise leader in sacks (107.5), 2x NFL sack leader
Seahawks
- Russell Wilson: Franchise leader in pass yds (37,059) & pass TDs (292)
- Steve Largent: Franchise leader in rec yds (13,089), rec TDs (100) & receptions (819), held NFL records in rec yds & rec TDs when he retired in 1989
- Walter Jones: One of best LTs ever, started every game in 12 seasons (180), only gave up 23 sacks on 5,500 passes in career
- Cortez Kennedy: 1x DPOY, 5x All-Pro, one of the greatest DTs to ever play
Who Wins the Next One?
The Seahawks have had success in this matchup regardless of playing at home or in New York. In Seattle, their record is 6-3 including three straight wins. It’s hard for east coast teams to travel west and play. I’d recommend backing the Seahawks when they’re playing at home versus the Jets. Another interesting note in this game, Geno Smith has his revenge game. Drafted by the Jets in 2013, the tenure did not go well. Geno definitely wants to make a statement and stick it to the franchise who dumped him.