Post by Lithfan on Dec 4, 2015 6:38:57 GMT -5
December 4, 1971
It had been 14 months since the Jets played a game with Joe Namath as their starter. Joe had broken his wrist in the 5th game of the 1970 season in October and was forced to sit out the rest of the season. He made his return in preseason, but suffered a knee injury in a preseason game against Detroit that sidelined him for over 3 months.
A week earlier, Joe had come off the bench in relief of starter Bob Davis and threw 3 second half TDs, but the Namath-led rally fell short in a 24-21 loss to San Francisco. It was a tall order for Joe and the Jets in his first game back as starter the following week. The Jets would travel to Dallas to take on the 8-3 Cowboys, winners of 4 straight. The Cowboys were led by their own Hall of Fame Quarterback, Roger Staubach.
With their leader back on the field, the Jets were hoping for a fast start, what they got was anything but, as the Jets would play the worst 1st quarter in their history. And it started on the very first play, as Bobby Howfield kicked off. The Cowboys’ Ike Thomas took the ball 1 yard deep in the end zone and proceeded to go 101 yards for an opening kick return TD. It was the second consecutive week that Thomas opened a game with a TD return. After a failed Jets possession, the Cowboys struck again, this time it was a 27 yard TD pass from Staubach to Calvin Hill. Before Namath even threw a pass, the Jets trailed by 14. And it only got worse.
On the Jets 2nd possession, Namath was picked off by Herb Adderley, who returned it to the Jets 27 yard line. Another 27-yard Staubach to Hill pass made it 21-0. Still in the first quarter.
And it continued to get worse as the Jets lost the ball on the ensuing kickoff, the fumble recovered by Claxton Welch of Dallas. Duane Thomas carried in from 3 yards for the 4th Cowboy TD of the first quarter. The 28 points are the most a Jet team has ever given up in the first quarter in their history.
By the time the second quarter started, it seemed that Namath’s day was done. Weeb Ewbank replaced him with Bob Davis, in order to avoid any further risk of injury. But it was Davis who would injure his ankle in the 3rd quarter and Namath was forced to return. By that time, the Cowboys had extended their lead to 45-10. They would go on to win 52-10.
Jets QB Bob Davis in action against Miami earlier in the 1971 season
Namath and Davis combined for a total of 19 net passing yards in the game. Joe was just 1 of 5 for 20 yards and 1 pick. Davis completed 5 of 15 for just 7 yards with 1 TD and 2 Ints. He was sacked once, an 8 yard loss, so Davis netted -1 passing yard in the game. Surprisingly, the 19 yard passing output was not the Jets worst on the season, nor was it even the second worst passing total in 1971.
On November 7, the Jets had 9 passing yards against KC in a game started by Davis. A game the Jets managed to win 13-10. Earlier in the season, Al Woodall was held to 8 yards in a 20-0 shutout loss to New England. The 1971 Jets averaged less than 100 passing yards per game, yet they still managed to finish with a 6-8 record. As for the Cowboys, they would finish 11-3 and go on to defeat Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl VI
.
Namath would lead the Jets to victories in his next two starts, the last two games of the season.
Source: The Spartanburg Herald Journal
It had been 14 months since the Jets played a game with Joe Namath as their starter. Joe had broken his wrist in the 5th game of the 1970 season in October and was forced to sit out the rest of the season. He made his return in preseason, but suffered a knee injury in a preseason game against Detroit that sidelined him for over 3 months.
A week earlier, Joe had come off the bench in relief of starter Bob Davis and threw 3 second half TDs, but the Namath-led rally fell short in a 24-21 loss to San Francisco. It was a tall order for Joe and the Jets in his first game back as starter the following week. The Jets would travel to Dallas to take on the 8-3 Cowboys, winners of 4 straight. The Cowboys were led by their own Hall of Fame Quarterback, Roger Staubach.
With their leader back on the field, the Jets were hoping for a fast start, what they got was anything but, as the Jets would play the worst 1st quarter in their history. And it started on the very first play, as Bobby Howfield kicked off. The Cowboys’ Ike Thomas took the ball 1 yard deep in the end zone and proceeded to go 101 yards for an opening kick return TD. It was the second consecutive week that Thomas opened a game with a TD return. After a failed Jets possession, the Cowboys struck again, this time it was a 27 yard TD pass from Staubach to Calvin Hill. Before Namath even threw a pass, the Jets trailed by 14. And it only got worse.
On the Jets 2nd possession, Namath was picked off by Herb Adderley, who returned it to the Jets 27 yard line. Another 27-yard Staubach to Hill pass made it 21-0. Still in the first quarter.
And it continued to get worse as the Jets lost the ball on the ensuing kickoff, the fumble recovered by Claxton Welch of Dallas. Duane Thomas carried in from 3 yards for the 4th Cowboy TD of the first quarter. The 28 points are the most a Jet team has ever given up in the first quarter in their history.
By the time the second quarter started, it seemed that Namath’s day was done. Weeb Ewbank replaced him with Bob Davis, in order to avoid any further risk of injury. But it was Davis who would injure his ankle in the 3rd quarter and Namath was forced to return. By that time, the Cowboys had extended their lead to 45-10. They would go on to win 52-10.
Jets QB Bob Davis in action against Miami earlier in the 1971 season
Namath and Davis combined for a total of 19 net passing yards in the game. Joe was just 1 of 5 for 20 yards and 1 pick. Davis completed 5 of 15 for just 7 yards with 1 TD and 2 Ints. He was sacked once, an 8 yard loss, so Davis netted -1 passing yard in the game. Surprisingly, the 19 yard passing output was not the Jets worst on the season, nor was it even the second worst passing total in 1971.
On November 7, the Jets had 9 passing yards against KC in a game started by Davis. A game the Jets managed to win 13-10. Earlier in the season, Al Woodall was held to 8 yards in a 20-0 shutout loss to New England. The 1971 Jets averaged less than 100 passing yards per game, yet they still managed to finish with a 6-8 record. As for the Cowboys, they would finish 11-3 and go on to defeat Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl VI
.
Namath would lead the Jets to victories in his next two starts, the last two games of the season.
Source: The Spartanburg Herald Journal
