Igniting the 80s


 


TE Jerome Barkum is swarmed by his teammates at Shea


 (Continuing my list of the Top 10 Jets wins of all time)


#7: Jets 16 Dolphins 15 (11/22/1981)

(full game video)

After going the entire decade of the 70s without making the playoffs even once, the Jets began the 1980s with a severely disappointing 4-12 season in 1980, (this, even after Jimmy the Greek predicted the Jets would make the Super Bowl). 

1981 was headed into the toilet fast too as the Jets began the season 0-3-1. But then, the team's offense got rolling along with the emergence of the original NY Sack Exchange in defense. 

1981 had a lot of dramatic victories for the Jets en route to a 10-5-1 regular season finish and a home game against Buffalo in the AFC Wildcard Game. 

But none of those games were more important and meaningful than this comeback win over Miami at Shea. It was at home, it was against a bitter rival, it came in the last seconds, and the man who scored the TD was a 10-year veteran who began his career catching TDs from Joe Namath. 


That 10-year vet was TE Jerome Barkum who broke in with the Jets as a wide receiver in the Namath era, but fittingly switched to tight end after Namath left the team before the 1977 season. 

Barkum was not as good at tight end as then-backup Mickey Schuler ended up becoming, but he was a key target for QB Richard Todd in tight moments. 

While the 80s never saw the Jets make a Super Bowl, the team did make the playoffs four times in the decade and in many ways this was the win that really put the 80s Jets on the map and showed the fans what it could do when it set its mind to it. 



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