1985 New York Jets season
The 1985 New York Jets season was the 26th season for the team and the 16th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 7–9 record from 1984 under head coach Joe Walton. Among quarterbacks, Ken O'Brien had the lowest rate of interceptions, with only eight interceptions in 488 passing attempts. The Jets finished the season with a record of 11–5, qualifying for the top Wild Card spot in the playoffs. On October 14, during a Monday Night Halftime ceremony, the Jets retired Joe Namath's number 12, and helped inspire the Jets to a 23–7 victory over the Dolphins. In the playoffs, they fell at home to the division rival, and eventual AFC champion New England Patriots in the Wild Card round.
1985 New York Jets season | |
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Owner | Leon Hess |
Head coach | Joe Walton |
General manager | Jim Kensil |
Home field | Giants Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 11–5 |
Division place | 2nd AFC East |
Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Patriots) 14–26 |
Pro Bowlers | QB Ken O'Brien RB Freeman McNeil DT Joe Klecko DE Mark Gastineau LB Lance Mehl |

Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
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Roster
Schedule
Regular season
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
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1 | September 8 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 31–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 57,123 |
2 | September 15 | Buffalo Bills | W 42–3 | Giants Stadium | 63,449 |
3 | September 22 | at Green Bay Packers | W 24–3 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,667 |
4 | September 29 | Indianapolis Colts | W 25–20 | Giants Stadium | 61,987 |
5 | October 6 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 29–20 | Riverfront Stadium | 51,785 |
6 | October 14 | Miami Dolphins | W 23–7 | Giants Stadium | 73,807 |
7 | October 20 | at New England Patriots | L 20–13 | Sullivan Stadium | 58,163 |
8 | October 27 | Seattle Seahawks | W 17–14 | Giants Stadium | 69,320 |
9 | November 3 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 35–17 | Hoosier Dome | 59,683 |
10 | November 10 | at Miami Dolphins | L 21–17 | Miami Orange Bowl | 73,965 |
11 | November 17 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 62–28 | Giants Stadium | 65,344 |
12 | November 24 | New England Patriots | W 16–13 (OT) | Giants Stadium | 74,100 |
13 | November 28 | at Detroit Lions | L 31–20 | Pontiac Silverdome | 65,531 |
14 | December 8 | at Buffalo Bills | W 27–7 | Rich Stadium | 23,122 |
15 | December 14 | Chicago Bears | L 19–6 | Giants Stadium | 74,752 |
16 | December 22 | Cleveland Browns | W 37–10 | Giants Stadium | 59,073 |
Week 7 at Patriots
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Jets | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
Patriots | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
Game information | ||
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Week 8 vs Seahawks
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Seahawks | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Jets | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
at Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: October 27
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny • 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind SW 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn) to 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn)
- Game attendance: 69,320
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Standings
AFC East | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Miami Dolphins(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 428 | 320 | W7 |
New York Jets(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 393 | 264 | W1 |
New England Patriots(5) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 362 | 290 | W1 |
Indianapolis Colts | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–7 | 2–10 | 320 | 386 | W2 |
Buffalo Bills | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–7 | 2–12 | 200 | 381 | L6 |
Playoffs
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
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WC | December 28, 1985 | New England Patriots | L 26–14 | The Meadowlands |
Awards and honors
- Ken O'Brien, NFL passing leader (96.2 passer rating)