1978 season of NFL team New York Jets
The 1978 New York Jets season was the nineteenth season for the franchise and the ninth in the National Football League . It began with the team trying to improve upon its 3–11 record from each of the previous three seasons under head coach Walt Michaels . Following an opening-game upset over the Miami Dolphins at Shea Stadium, the Jets stayed in contention for most of the season before finishing with an 8–8 record, with Matt Robinson starting most of the season at quarterback.
Offseason [ ]
This photo from 1985 shows the Jets’ uniform redesigned and adopted in 1978. Note the green helmet and modified shoulder/sleeve treatment.
The Jets overhauled their uniforms and logos for the 1978 season, abandoning the jerseys they had worn since 1963 and the helmet and logo they’d used since 1965 in favor of a more modern look using the same kelly-green-and-white color scheme. The new helmets were solid green with white facemasks, and a stylized “JETS” wordmark in white on each side. The mark featured angular lettering and a silhouette of a modern jet airplane extending horizontally to the right from the top of the “J” above the “ETS”. The jerseys featured large TV numerals on the shoulders and two thick parallel stripes on the sleeves, while the pants had a single green stripe from hip to knee on each side.
NFL Draft [ ]
Round
Pick
Player
Position
School/Club Team
1
4
Chris Ward
Offensive Tackle
Ohio State
2
31
Mike Merrill
Linebacker
Minnesota
3
61
Mickey Shuler
Tight End
Penn State
Personnel [ ]
Staff [ ]
1978 New York Jets staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Roster [ ]
1978 New York Jets final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
, 5 practice squad
Regular season [ ]
Schedule [ ]
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Game site
Attendance
1
September 3
Miami Dolphins
W 33–20
Shea Stadium
49,598
2
September 10
at Buffalo Bills
W 21–20
Rich Stadium
40,985
3
September 17
Seattle Seahawks
L 17–24
Shea Stadium
46,911
4
September 24
at Washington Redskins
L 3–23
R.F. Kennedy Stadium
54,729
5
October 1
Pittsburgh Steelers
L 17–28
Shea Stadium
52,058
6
October 8
Buffalo Bills
W 45–14
Shea Stadium
44,545
7
October 15
at Baltimore Colts
W 33–10
Memorial Stadium
45,563
8
October 22
St. Louis Cardinals
W 23–10
Shea Stadium
49,244
9
October 29
at New England Patriots
L 21–55
Schaefer Stadium
60,585
10
November 5
at Denver Broncos
W 31–28
Mile High Stadium
74,983
11
November 12
at Philadelphia Eagles
L 9–17
Veterans Stadium
60,249
12
November 19
New England Patriots
L 17–19
Shea Stadium
55,568
13
November 26
at Miami Dolphins
W 24–13
Orange Bowl
49,255
14
December 3
Baltimore Colts
W 24–16
Shea Stadium
50,248
15
December 10
at Cleveland Browns
L 34–37OT
Cleveland Stadium
36,881
16
December 17
Dallas Cowboys
L 7–30
Shea Stadium
52,532
Game summaries [ ]
Week 1 [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Dolphins
0
6 7 7
20
• Jets
10
10 7 6
33
Date: September 3Location: Shea Stadium , Flushing, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 49,598Game weather: 72 °F (22.2 °C); wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
Scoring summary 1 NYJ Wesley Walker 47 yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick)Jets 7–0
1 NYJ Pat Leahy 36 yard field goal Jets 10–0
2 NYJ Pat Leahy 22 yard field goal Jets 13–0
2 MIA Delvin Williams 58 yard run (kick failed)Jets 13–6
2 NYJ Mickey Shuler 1 yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick)Jets 20–6
3 NYJ Wesley Walker 43 yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick) Jets 27–6
3 MIA Nat Moore 1 yard pass from Don Strock (Garo Yepremian kick)Jets 27–13
4 NYJ Pat Leahy 46 yard field goal Jets 30–13
4 NYJ Pat Leahy 36 yard field goal Jets 33–13
4 MIA Loaird McCreay 5 yard pass from Guy Benjamin (Garo Yepremian kick) Jets 33–20
[1]
Week 2 [ ]
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Week 3 [ ]
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Week 4 [ ]
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Week 5 [ ]
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Week 6 [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Bills
7
0 0 7
14
• Jets
14
21 10 0
45
Date: October 8Location: Shea Stadium , Flushing, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 44,545Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
Scoring summary 1 NYJ Kevin Long 5 yard run (Pat Leahy kick)Jets 7–0
1 NYJ Burgess Owens 40 yard interception return (Pat Leahy kick)Jets 14–0
1 BUF Reuben Gant 16 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Tom Dempsey kick)Jets 14–7
2 NYJ Kevin Long 16 yard run (Pat Leahy kick) Jets 21–7
2 NYJ Kevin Long 3 yard run (Pat Leahy kick) Jets 28–7
2 NYJ Bruce Harper 82 yard punt return (Pat Leahy kick)Jets 35–7
3 NYJ Derrick Gaffney 18 yard pass from Matt Robinson (Pat Leahy kick)Jets 42–7
3 NYJ Pat Leahy 38 yard field goal Jets 45–7
4 BUF Bob Chandler 15 yard pass from Bill Munson (Tom Dempsey kick)Jets 45–14
[2]
Week 7 [ ]
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Week 8 [ ]
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Week 9 [ ]
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Week 10 [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
• Jets
0
17 7 7
31
Broncos
14
14 0 0
28
Date: November 5Location: Mile High Stadium Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 74,983Game weather: 48 °F (8.9 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
Scoring summary Q1 DEN Keyworth 5 yard run (Turner kick)DEN 7–0
Q1 DEN Thompson 4 yard fumble return (Turner kick)DEN 14–0
Q2 NYJ Long 4 yard run (Leahy kick)DEN 14–7
Q2 DEN Moses 14 yard pass from Penrose (Turner kick)DEN 21–7
Q2 DEN Jackson 28 yard interception return (Turner kick)DEN 28–7
Q2 NYJ Gaffney 4 yard pass from Robinson (Leahy kick)DEN 28–14
Q2 NYJ Leahy 38 yard field goal DEN 28–17
Q3 NYJ Dierking 3 yard run (Leahy kick)DEN 28–24
Q4 NYJ Walker 75 yard pass from Robinson (Leahy kick)NYJ 31–28
[3]
Week 11 [ ]
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Week 12 [ ]
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Week 13 [ ]
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Week 14 [ ]
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Week 15 [ ]
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Week 16 [ ]
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Standings [ ]
Awards and records [ ]
References [ ]
External links [ ]
New York Jets
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Key personnel
Owner: Woody Johnson
Chairman/CEO: Christopher Johnson
President:
General manager: Joe Douglas
Head coach: Robert Saleh
Division championships (4) League championships (1) Media Current league affiliations Former league affiliation
League: American Football League (1960–1969)
Formerly the New York Titans (1960–1962)
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory