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 11 games and going 6–5 at quarterback.
Offseason
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
Undrafted free agents
+ 1978 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeJerry AndrewlavagePunterColgateMario BenimeoDefensive tackleMontclair StateDon CovinCornerbackTrenton StateMatt CumberworthGuardLouisvilleDon FennerDefensive tackleC.W. PostJim HarrellWide receiverOhio StateBobby JonesWide receiverNick LoweryKickerDartmouthWalt MajewskiCenterWisconsin–River FallsBob NelsonQuarterbackShippensburgRich PennellaPunterLouisvilleTerry RamseyLinebackerConnecticutBruce StephensWide receiverColumbiaChuck WhiteWide receiverMaryland
Personnel Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 3 Miami Dolphins W 33–20 1–0 Shea Stadium 49,598 2 September 10 at Buffalo Bills W 21–20 2–0 Rich Stadium 40,985 3 September 17 Seattle Seahawks L 17–24 2–1 Shea Stadium 46,911 4 September 24 at Washington Redskins L 3–23 2–2 R.F. Kennedy Stadium 54,729 5 October 1 Pittsburgh Steelers L 17–28 2–3 Shea Stadium 52,058 6 October 8 Buffalo Bills W 45–14 3–3 Shea Stadium 44,545 7 October 15 at Baltimore Colts W 33–10 4–3 Memorial Stadium 45,563 8 October 22 St. Louis Cardinals W 23–10 5–3 Shea Stadium 49,244 9 October 29 at New England Patriots L 21–55 5–4 Schaefer Stadium 60,585 10 November 5 at Denver Broncos W 31–28 6–4 Mile High Stadium 74,983 11 November 12 at Philadelphia Eagles L 9–17 6–5 Veterans Stadium 60,249 12 November 19 New England PatriotsL 17–19 6–6 Shea Stadium 55,568 13 November 26 at Miami DolphinsW 24–13 7–6 Orange Bowl 49,255 14 December 3 Baltimore ColtsW 24–16 8–6 Shea Stadium 50,248 15 December 10 at Cleveland Browns L 34–37 8–7 Cleveland Stadium 36,881 16 December 17 Dallas Cowboys L 7–30 8–8 Shea Stadium 52,532 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 7
Week 8 Television Network: CBS Announcers: Don Criqui, Nick Buoniconti and Sonny Jurgensen Pat Leahy kicked three field goals and Scott Dierking scored a pair of touchdowns as the Jets are still in the hunt for a wild card berth. Leahy who entered the game with an NFL leading 55 points connected on kicks of 20, 38 and 45 yards, the last two in a 13-point third quarter that broke a 10-10 halftime tie. Dierking, who had only one pro touchdowns in his first two seasons, punched over from the 2-yard line and went in from the 11. For the day, Dierking gained 94 yards.
Week 9
Week 10
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Jun-27.
Week 11
Week 12
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-Jan-5.
A personal foul call against Burgess Owens led to a Patriots go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter. The Jets nearly came back to win the game, but Pat Leahy missed a 33 yard field goal to the right with 31 seconds remaining.
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Standings
Awards and records Wesley Walker, NFL Leader in Receiving Yards, (1,169)
References
External links 1978 statistics