1996 New York Jets season

1996 New York Jets season
Head coach Rich Kotite (resigned)
Owner Leon Hess
Home field The Meadowlands
Results
Record 1–15
Division place 5th AFC East
Playoff finish did not qualify

The 1996 New York Jets season began with the team trying to improve upon its league-worst 3–13 record from 1995. However, this season proved even more calamitous as they finished 1–15, which is the worst record in franchise history. This led to the resignation of head coach Rich Kotite after the season ended.

The Jets tied an NFL record that the New Orleans Saints set in 1980 and became the fifth team and first since the 1991 Indianapolis Colts to finish a season with fifteen losses. The record would be equaled by the 2000 San Diego Chargers, 2001 Carolina Panthers, and the 2007 Miami Dolphins before the 2008 Detroit Lions eclipsed it by becoming the first team to go through a sixteen-game season without a single victory.

Offseason

After three seasons with quarterback Boomer Esiason as the starter, the Jets decided to go in a different direction and released Esiason in the offseason. They signed Neil O'Donnell, who had just led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl, to replace him in the hopes he would duplicate his success with the Steelers. The Jets received the first pick in the NFL draft in April and drafted wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson out of the University of Southern California. The Jets also signed offensive tackles Jumbo Elliott and David Williams and receivers Jeff Graham and Webster Slaughter. The Jets spent $70 million in the offseason on free-agent and rookie contracts.

Season

O'Donnell was the starter for the first six games of the season, but they went 0–6 under him. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during pregame warmups before the seventh game. Longtime Buffalo Bills backup quarterback Frank Reich replaced him, but he didn't fare much better. They lost to Jacksonville and Buffalo, before the now lowly 0–8 Jets beat former Jets QB Boomer Esiason and his new team, the Arizona Cardinals (although Esiason didn't play for the game for Arizona), in Sun Devil Stadium for what would be their only win of the season, in their first game against the Cardinals since 1978.[1] Kotite announced his resignation on December 20.

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Game site Network Kickoff (ET) Attendance
1 September 1, 1996 at Denver Broncos L 6–31 Mile High Stadium NBC 4:00pm
70,595
2 September 8, 1996 Indianapolis Colts L 7–21Giants Stadium NBC 1:00pm
63,534
3 September 15, 1996 at Miami Dolphins L 27–36 Pro Player Stadium NBC 1:00pm
68,137
4 September 22, 1996 New York Giants L 6–13Giants Stadium FOX 4:00pm
58,339
 Game broadcast by FOX (Mike Breen and Bill Maas)
5 September 29, 1996 at Washington Redskins L 16–31 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium TNT 8:00pm
52,068
6 October 6, 1996 Oakland Raiders L 13–34 Giants Stadium NBC 1:00pm
63,611
7 October 13, 1996 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 17–21 Alltel Stadium NBC 1:00pm
65,699
8 October 20, 1996 Buffalo Bills L 22–25 Giants Stadium NBC 4:00pm
49,775
9 October 27, 1996 at Arizona Cardinals W 31–21 Sun Devil Stadium NBC 4:00pm
28,088
10 Bye
11 November 10, 1996 New England Patriots L 27–31 Giants Stadium NBC 1:00pm
61,843
12 November 17, 1996 at Indianapolis Colts L 29–34 RCA Dome NBC 1:00pm
48,322
13 November 24, 1996 at Buffalo Bills L 10–35 Rich Stadium NBC 1:00pm
60,854
14 December 1, 1996 Houston Oilers L 10–35 Giants Stadium NBC 1:00pm
21,731
15 December 8, 1996 at New England Patriots L 10–34 Foxboro Stadium NBC 1:00pm
54,621
16 December 14, 1996 Philadelphia Eagles L 20–21 Giants Stadium FOX 12:30pm
29,176
17 December 22, 1996 Miami Dolphins L 28–31 Giants Stadium NBC 1:00pm
49,933

Standings

AFC East
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(2) New England Patriots 11 5 0 .688 418 313 W1
(4) Buffalo Bills 10 6 0 .625 319 266 W1
(6) Indianapolis Colts 9 7 0 .563 317 334 L1
Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 .500 339 325 W2
New York Jets 1 15 0 .063 279 454 L7

External links

  1. ↑ Arizona Cardinals v New York Jets
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