Editing Super Bowl III (section)

===New York Jets===
{{Further|1968 New York Jets season}}

The New York Jets, led by head coach [[Weeb Ewbank]] (who was the head coach of the Colts when they won the famous 1958 NFL Championship game and later the '59 title also), finished the season with an 11–3 regular season record (one of the losses was to the [[1968 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]] in the infamous "[[Heidi Game]]") and had to rally to defeat those same Raiders, 27–23, in a thrilling AFL Championship Game.

Jets quarterback [[Joe Namath]] threw for 3,147 yards during the regular season and completed 49.2 percent of his passes, but threw more interceptions (17) than touchdowns (15). Still, he led the offense effectively enough for them to finish the regular season with more total points scored (419) than Baltimore, and finished fourth in completion percentage, fifth in touchdown passes, and third in passing yards as one of only three quarterbacks to pass for over 3,000 yards in the AFL that season. Fundamentally, Namath usually found ways to win. For example, late in the fourth quarter of the AFL championship game, Namath threw an interception that allowed the Raiders to take the lead. But he then made up for his mistake by completing 3 consecutive passes on the ensuing drive, advancing the ball 68 yards in just 55 seconds to score a touchdown to regain the lead for New York. Future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] wide receiver [[Don Maynard]] caught the game-winning pass in the end zone but strained his hamstring on the play.<ref name="Joe Namath leads NY Jets to arguably biggest upset in history over Baltimore Colts">{{cite news | title=Super Bowl III: Joe Namath leads NY Jets to arguably biggest upset in history over Baltimore Colts | first=Joe | last=Belock | date=December 20, 2013 | work=[[New York Daily News]] | location=New York City | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/super-bowl-iii-namath-jets-shock-baltimore-colts-16-7-article-1.1553628 | access-date=January 5, 2015 | archive-date=January 1, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101132042/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/super-bowl-iii-namath-jets-shock-baltimore-colts-16-7-article-1.1553628 | url-status=live}}</ref>

The Jets had a number of offensive weapons that Namath used. Maynard had the best season of his career, catching 57 passes for 1,297 yards (an average of 22.8 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns. Wide receiver [[George Sauer Jr.]] recorded 66 receptions for 1,141 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tight end [[Pete Lammons]] added 32 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns. The Jets rushing attack was also effective. Fullback [[Matt Snell]], a power runner, was the top rusher on the team with 747 yards and 6 touchdowns, while elusive halfback [[Emerson Boozer]] contributed 441 yards and 5 touchdowns. Meanwhile, kicker [[Jim Turner (placekicker)|Jim Turner]] made 34 field goals and 43 extra points for a combined total of 145 points.

The Jets defense led the AFL in total rushing yards allowed (1,195). [[Gerry Philbin]], [[Paul Rochester]], [[John Elliott (defensive lineman)|John Elliott]], and [[Verlon Biggs]] anchored the defensive line. The Jets linebacking core was led by middle linebacker [[Al Atkinson]]. The secondary was led by defensive backs [[Johnny Sample]] (a former Colt who played on their 1958 NFL Championship team) who recorded 7 interceptions, and [[Jim Hudson]], who recorded 5.

Several of the Jets' players had been cut by NFL teams. Maynard had been cut by the [[1959 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] after they lost the [[1958 NFL Championship Game]] to the Colts and had to spend one year playing [[Canadian football]] before the Jets (then called the Titans) enabled him to return to his home country. "I kept a little bitterness in me," he says.<ref name=Strother>Shelby Strother, "It came with a Guarantee," ''The Super Bowl: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of America's Greatest Game''. Simon and Schuster, 1990 {{ISBN|0-671-72798-2}}</ref> Sample had been cut by the Colts. "I was almost in a frenzy by the time the game arrived," he says. "I held a private grudge against the Colts. I was really ready for that game. All of us were."<ref name=Strother/> Offensive tackle [[Winston Hill]] had been cut five years earlier by the Colts as a rookie in training camp. "[[Ordell Braase]] kept making me look bad in practice," he says.<ref name=Strother/> Hill would be blocking Braase in Super Bowl III.

At an all-night party to celebrate the Jets' victory over the Raiders at Namath's nightclub, [[Joe Namath#Bachelors III|Bachelors III]], Namath poured champagne over [[Johnny Carson]] as the comedian commented, "First time I ever knew you to waste the stuff."<ref>Davis, p. 334.</ref>