New York Jets · Franchise era 3 of 6
The Sack Exchange and more near misses: the New York Jets story
Franchise era
1981—1996
The Sack Exchange and more near misses
New York Jets
The story in one sentence
The Sack Exchange led consecutive playoff teams, and the 1986 club began 10–1 before injuries and an overtime loss ended its run.
Pass rush returns the Jets to January
Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko and Ken O'Brien gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for parcells changes the standard.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1981
What came before
Injuries limited Namath and New York spent much of the 1970s searching before a young defensive line began to emerge.
1983-01-15
Divisional Round: New York Jets vs Los Angeles Raiders
1983-01-23
Conference Championship: New York Jets vs Miami Dolphins
1987-01-03
Divisional Round: New York Jets vs Cleveland Browns
After 1996
What came next
Parcells rebuilt the franchise immediately, Martin became its model of consistency and Pennington later delivered another division title.
The core