1972 New York Jets season
Week Date Opponent Result Game site Attendance
1 September 17 , 1972 at Buffalo Bills W 41-24 War Memorial Stadium 46,206
2 September 24 , 1972 at Baltimore Colts W 44-34 Memorial Stadium 56,626
3 October 1 , 1972 at Houston Oilers L 26-20 Astrodome 51,423
4 October 8 , 1972 Miami Dolphins L 27-17 Shea Stadium 63,841
5 October 15 , 1972 at New England Patriots W 41-13 Schaefer Stadium 60,999
6 October 22 , 1972 Baltimore Colts W 24-20 Shea Stadium 62,948
7 October 29 , 1972 New England Patriots W 34-10 Shea Stadium 62,867
8 November 5 , 1972 Washington Redskins L 35-17 Shea Stadium 63,962
9 November , 12 1972 Buffalo Bills W 41-3 Shea Stadium 62,853
10 November 19 , 1972 at Miami Dolphins L 28-24 Miami Orange Bowl 80,010
11 November 23 , 1972 at Detroit Lions L 37-20 Tiger Stadium 54,418
12 December 3 , 1972 New Orleans Saints W 18-17 Shea Stadium 62,496
13 December 11 , 1972 at Oakland Raiders L 24-16 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 54,843
14 December 17 , 1972 Cleveland Browns L 26-10 Shea Stadium 62,614
Offseason -- Schedule
The 1972 New York Jets season was the 13th season for the team and the third in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 6-8 record from 1971 under legendary head coach Weeb Ewbank. The Jets star quarterback Joe Namath was healthy for a full season for the first time in three years but the rest of the squad was decimated by injuries and, after a strong start, the Jets finished with a record of 7-7. The 1972 Jets have the distinction of being the last NFL team to play a team from another league. During the 1972 preseason, a squad composed of the Jets rookies defeated the Long Island Chiefs of the Seaboard Football League 29-3. Namath threw for 496 yards and six touchdowns (on just 15 of 28 passes) in a 44-34 victory over the Baltimore Colts in Broadway Joes first appearance at Baltimores Memorial Stadium in week two, but the next week, the Jets were humbled 26-20 by the Houston Oilers, the Oilers' only victory of 1972 and their last before embarking on an 18-game losing streak. They Jets were eliminated from playoff contention in the seasons thirteenth week, a Monday Night Game with the Raiders in which a battered and bruised Namath threw for 403 yards and nearly pulled off the upset. After the game Raiders coach John Madden went into the Jets locker room and shook Namaths hand out of respect; it was the only time in his coaching career Madden ever did that. Eliminated from postseason play, the Jets coaches decided Namath would sit out the final game of the season to make sure no serious injuries were incurred prior to the 1973 season.