NFL Old School Game of the Week: Brady Leads Patriots to Comeback Win over Jets

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed 20 of 28 passes for 213 yards in the Patriots' win over the New York Jets.

When it comes to the New England Patriots and the beginning of their dynasty, many will point to the play in second game of the 2001 season when starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of action thanks to a hit by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, which lead to Bledsoe being sidelined for several weeks and being replaced by Tom Brady.

Some might point to the moment when head coach Bill Belichick named Brady the starter for the rest of the season even though Bledsoe was now healthy as the moment that changed New England's fortunes.

But if you look closely at the 2001 season, you may need to pay attention to the Patriots' second meeting with Jets on December 2, 2001 as the moment the Patriots morphed into a championship team.

The Patriots came into the game with a 6-5 record in contention for a Wild Card spot but two games back of the Miami Dolphins in the race for the AFC East division championship.

New England traveled to the Meadowlands to face the Jets who also in the race to make the playoffs as they entered the game with a 7-3 record, just half a game behind the 8-3 Dolphins, meaning the winner of this game would bolster their hopes at making the playoffs and keep them in the hunt for the AFC East title.

 The Jets got the ball to start the game where after the first two plays picked up only two yards, quarterback Vinny Testaverde connected with Santana Moss for a 33-yard completion to give the Jets a 1st down at the Patriots' 38-yard-line.

Then after two short passes that gained four yards, Testaverde found Laveranues Coles for a 34-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 7-0 lead with 11:52 to go in the first quarter.

Following a New England three-and-out, the Jets got the ball back at their 45-yard-line when Testaverde hit another long pass, this time for 24 yards to Coles to give New York a 1st down at the Patriots' 31-yard-line.

From there, the Jets would drive to the Patriots' two-yard-line on the legs of running back Curtis Martin, who ran for 21 yards on four of the next six New York plays.

However, Martin's fifth carry would go for no gain as he was stopped by the Patriots' defense on 3rd & goal from the two-yard-line, forcing the Jets to settle for a 19-yard field goal by John Hall which increased New York's lead to 10-0 with 4:53 left in the first quarter.

Both teams would trade punts for the next couple of possessions until midway through the second quarter when the Jets drove 44 yards in nine plays as Testaverde completed four of six passes for 37 yards and ran for 12 yards to set up another field goal by Hall, this time from 40 yards out to increase New York's lead to 13-0.

Jets running back Curtis Martin carried the ball 20 times for 99 yards.

That would be the score after the first half came to a close with the Patriots' offense stuck in neutral as they gained only 61 yards and picked up just three 1st downs.

Things do not get any better when the Patriots got the ball to start the second half as they went three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Jets who took over at the New England 36-yard-line after Ken Walter shanked the punt as it went only 19 yards.

After dropping Richie Anderson for a three-yard-loss on 1st down, the Patriots' defense forced the first turnover of the game when linebacker Mike Vrabel picked off a Testaverde pass after it was tipped at the line of scrimmage by New England defensive end Brandon Mitchell.

Vrabel returned the pick 12 yards to the New England 43-yard-line giving Brady and the Patriots' offense their best field position of the game.

Brady would hit David Patten for seven yards on 1st down, then threw an incomplete pass for running back Antowain Smith to set up a 3rd & 3 at the 50-yard-line when Brady connected with Fred Coleman on a slant pass that picked up 46 yards to give New England a 1st & goal at the Jets' four-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Brady handed the ball off to Smith on 2nd down who ran it in for the four-yard touchdown to put the Patriots on the board and the cut Jets' lead to 13-7 with 10:19 left in the third quarter.

The Jets would be given great field position to start their next drive as Craig Yeast returned the ensuing kickoff 34 yards to the New York 48-yard-line.

From there, Martin would get the ball on the next two plays, running for 13 yards and then 17 yards to give the Jets a 1st down at the Patriots' 22-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as Testaverde would be sacked for a nine-yard-loss by Patriots defensive lineman Bobby Hamilton and Richard Seymour, forcing the Jets to settle for another field goal by Hall, this one from 50 yards out, to push the New York lead to 16-7 midway through the third quarter.

The Patriots would begin their next drive at their 18-yard-line looking to continue the momentum they got from their previous drive which ended in a touchdown.

The drive would start with Brady hitting Troy Brown on back-to-back passes for 14 yards to give New England a 1st down at its 32-yard-line.

After the next two plays picked up only one yard, Brady threw a screen pass to Smith on 3rd & 9, who proceeded to turn the short pass into a 40-yard gain to give the Patriots a 1st down at the Jets' 27-yard-line.

From there, running back Kevin Faulk would run the ball on the next three plays, gaining 23 yards to set up fullback Marc Edwards' four-yard touchdown run to bring the Patriots to within a field goal of taking the lead as they trailed 16-14 with 2:11 left in the third quarter.

Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown caught eight passes for 59 yards.

The Jets would get the ball back at their 30-yard-line and drive into New England territory until another sack by Seymour pushed the Jets back into their own territory as they would be forced to punt when Tom Tupa's punt only went 22 yards, giving the Patriots the ball at their 33-yard-line with 12:16 to go in the fourth quarter.

The drive began with a 12-yard pass from Brady to Patten, followed by an incomplete pass intended for Patten, then two more completions to Patten that totaled 32 yards to give the Patriots a 1st down at the Jets' 23-yard-line.

Following a two-yard run by Smith on 1st down, Brady went back to the air as he connected with Brown for seven yards to set up 3rd & 1 which the Patriots converted as Edwards picked up the one yard New England needed for the 1st down.

Smith would pick up the next six yards, first on a three-yard run, then on a three-yard pass to set up 3rd & 4 at the Jets' seven-yard-line when Brady threw a short pass to Brown, only to have Brown be tackled Jets linebacker Mo Lewis two yards short of the 1st down.

Adam Vinatieri would come on to attempt a 22-yard field goal which became a 27-yard field goal following a New England false start as Vinatieri made the field goal to give the Patriots their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 6:29 remaining in the game.

The Jets would take over at their 25-yard-line and drove to the Patriots' 49-yard-line as Testaverde was able to convert on two straight 3rd down situations, first connecting with Cherbet for nine yards on 3rd & 7, then finding Moss for seven yards on 3rd & 3 at the New York 44-yard-line.

Martin would carry the ball on the next two plays, picking up five more yards to set up 3rd & 5 where Testaverde's pass intended for Cherbet fell incomplete, forcing a 4th & 5 at the Patriots' 44-yard-line with 2:07 left in the game.

With time winding down, the Jets had no choice but to go for the 1st down as Testaverde dropped back to pass and threw a pass for tight end Anthony Becht, only to have Patriots cornerback Terrell Buckley, step in front of the pass to make the interception to give New England the ball at its 33-yard-line and a chance to run out the clock with 2:02 remaining.

Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri(right) and punter Ken Walter celebrate after Vinatieri's go-ahead field goal.

The Jets had one timeout and the two-minute warning so it was imperative that the Patriots pick up a 1st down to put the game away.

Two runs by Smith gained eight yards to set up the crucial 3rd & 2 at the New England 41-yard-line when Brady called his own number and ran it up the middle to pick up the two yards needed for the 1st down which allowed Brady to take two knees to run out the clock as the Patriots came away with the 17-16 win.

Despite the loss, the Jets would make the playoffs with a 10-6 record thanks to a 24-22 win over the Oakland Raiders on the final Sunday of the regular season as Hall made a 53-yard field goal with under a minute left in the game, only for the Jets to be eliminated the following weekend by the same Oakland Raiders as New York lost their AFC Wild Card Game 38-24.

As for the Patriots, the win over the Jets helped propelled them to the AFC East division title as they finished with a better division record(6-4) than the Dolphins(5-5) as both teams finished with identical 11-5 records with the tiebreaker going to New England which not only game them the division but also the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs.

From there, the Patriots would knock off the Raiders 16-13 in overtime in the Divisional Round in the controversial "Tuck Rule" Game, then upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 in the AFC Championship Game(Click on the highlighted link to check out my article on that game: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-bledsoe.html), and then wrapped their "Cinderella" run with a 20-17 win over the St. Louis Rams on Adam Vinatieri's game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired in Super Bowl XXXVI, for the first of six Super Bowl championships for the Patriots.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Ravens Win First Ever Game in Baltimore

 

64, 124 fans filled Memorial Stadium to see the Baltimore Ravens' very first NFL game on September 1, 1996.

Shockwaves went sent through the NFL on November 6, 1995 when Art Modell announced he was moving the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, a city that had not had a NFL team since the Colts' infamous move to Indianapolis following the 1983 season.

The main reason for the move was the city of Baltimore could provide a new stadium for the Browns while the city of Cleveland could not, or at least Modell's mind.

This caused a major dispute as Cleveland tried to convince Modell and the NFL not to move the team to Baltimore, eventually leading to a settlement on February 9, 1996  when the Browns could move to Baltimore, but the Browns' name, colors, and history would remain in Cleveland until a new stadium was built in time for the 1999 season.

Essentially, the city of Baltimore would be given a new NFL franchise even though the team that made up the 1995 Cleveland Browns would playing in the Charm City beginning with the 1996 season.

The team formerly known as the Browns would become the Baltimore Ravens on March 29, 1996, thanks to a fan survey to chose the new nickname which was named after the famous poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, who lived in Baltimore during much of his literary career.

This was all building up to the Ravens' first game on September 1, 1996 when Baltimore would host the Oakland Raiders to begin their new franchise.

The Ravens were led by head coach Ted Marchibroda, who had been the head coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1975-1979, leading to the Colts to three straight AFC East division titles during his tenure in Baltimore and was just coming off a four-year run as the coach of the Colts in which his team came within inches of catching a Hail Mary to win the 1995 AFC Championship Game just a few months before.

As for the players, the Ravens had veteran Vinny Testaverde at quarterback and two impressive rookies in offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden and middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who had been the Ravens' first two selections in the 1996 NFL Draft.

Meanwhile, the Raiders came into Baltimore without their starting quarterback as Jeff Hostetler was out with strained ligaments in his right knee, meaning that Billy Joe Hobert would get the start at quarterback for the Raiders in the season opener.

In front of a crowd of over 64,124 fans at the old Memorial Stadium(the new stadium would not be ready until 1998), the Baltimore Ravens made their NFL debut.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis would make two key plays in the Ravens' first ever NFL game.

The Ravens got the ball to start the game as they began their drive in team history with Testaverde completing his first four passes of the game for 30 yards as he lead the Baltimore offense to the Raiders' 35-yard-line until three incomplete passes and a pair of offensive penalties forced the Ravens to punt the ball back to Oakland.

After forcing the Raiders to punt, the Ravens got the ball back at their 15-yard-line and put together an 8-play, 85-yard drive which saw Testaverde complete passes of 48 yards to Derrick Alexander and 13 yards to Earnest Byner, setting up the first touchdown in Ravens history as Testaverde scrambled up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a 7-0 lead with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Raiders would respond with a 9-play, 79-yard drive in which Hobert went a perfect 4-for-4 on his passes as he connected with James Jett for a 33-yard completion to Oakland in Baltimore territory, then found Daryl Hobbs for a 15-yard gain on 3rd & 2 at the Ravens' 26-yard-line and then ended the drive with a seven-yard touchdown strike to Tim Brown to tie the game 7-7 with just over 11 minutes left in the second quarter.

The Raiders would be given a golden opportunity to take the lead when  the Ravens' Earnest Hunter fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Raiders defensive back Dan Land at the Baltimore 19-yard-line.

But just as quickly as the Raiders got the ball, they gave it right back to the Ravens as Hobert was picked off by Lewis in the end zone to give Baltimore the ball back at its 20-yard-line.

The Raiders would force a three-and-out as Testaverde was sacked on 3rd & 6 by Raiders defensive end Anthony Smith to force the Ravens to punt out of the end zone, giving possession to Oakland at Baltimore 47-yard-line.

After two runs by Napoleon Kaufman picked up only three yards, Hobert found Jett for nine yards and a 1st down at the 35-yard-line, which was followed by a 30-yard pass to tight end Rickey Dudley to give Oakland a 1st & goal at the Ravens' five-yard-line.

Following an illegal motion penalty that pushed the Raiders back five yards, Hobert hit Brown again, this time for a 10-yard touchdown to give Oakland a 14-7 lead with 6:50 left in the first half.

The two teams would trade punts for the rest of the first half as the Raiders went into the locker room with a 14-7 halftime lead and were set to get the ball to start the second half.

Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown only caught four passes for 31 yards, but two of those catches were for touchdowns.

However on the third play of the second half, Hobert would be picked off by Ravens cornerback Antonio Langham whose 28-yard return set the Baltimore offense up at the Raiders' 25-yard-line.

But the Ravens could not take advantage of the turnover as Testaverde would be sacked on 3rd & 10 for a nine-yard loss by Raiders cornerback Albert Lewis, forcing Baltimore to punt the ball back to the Raiders.

The Ravens would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Oakland 45-yard-line when Marchibroda decided for the Ravens to use a no-huddle offense to catch the Raiders' defense off guard.

The strategy paid off as the Ravens traveled 38 yards in eight plays to set up a 25-yard field goal by Matt Stover to cut the Oakland lead to 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

Following another Raiders punt, the Ravens got the ball at their 26-yard-line where they drove to the Raiders'  21-yard-line as Testaverde hit Brian Kinchen for 29 yards to put Baltimore in Oakland territory.

But the Ravens would lose 13 yards on an Alexander reverse which would force Baltimore to settle for another Stover field goal, this one from 37 yards out to make it an one-point game at 14-13 with 1:17 left in the third quarter.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line where they drove to their 42-yard-line when they were faced with a big 3rd & 1 situation.

That is when Lewis made his second big play of the game as he tackled running back Harvey Williams for an one-yard-loss to force another Raiders punt to give the Ravens the ball back at their 17-yard-line with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

It would only take the Ravens two plays to drive into Oakland territory as Testaverde connected with Michael Jackson for 27 yards to start the drive, then hit Hunter for 25 more yards to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Raiders' 31-yard-line.

Two runs by Carwell Gardner picked up nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Raiders defensive tackle Russell Maryland couldn't get off the field before the snap, drawing a too many men on the field penalty and giving the Ravens a 1st down at the Oakland 17-yard-line.

This was followed by a 12-yard run by Testaverde to set up 1st & goal at the five-yard-line where two straight running plays gained four yards setting up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Testaverde handed the ball of Byner who punched it for the go-ahead touchdown.

The Ravens went for two to make it a seven-point game but Testaverde's pass fell incomplete to keep the score 19-14 with 7:50 left in the game.

Ravens quarterback Vinny Testaverde completed 19 of 33 passes for 254 yards and ran the ball eight times for 42 yards and one touchdown.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line but a six-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by Ravens linebacker Mike Caldwell would force another three-and-out to give Baltimore the ball back at its 28-yard-line.

After both teams would go three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Ravens would get the ball at their 20-yard-line with 4:47 left in the game, hoping to pick up a few 1st downs to run out the clock.

The drive would begin very well for the Ravens as Testaverde ran for 16 yards to pick up a 1st down, which was followed up by a nine-yard run by Byner to set up 2nd & 1 at the Ravens' 45-yard-line.

However, Gardner would be stopped for no gain on 2nd down to set up a crucial 3rd & 1 when Testaverde handed the ball off to Byner who ran for five yards and a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.

Two offsides penalties by the Raiders gave the Ravens another 1st down and allow for Testaverde to take three knees to run out the clock as the Ravens would come away with a 19-14 victory, giving the city of Baltimore its first NFL win since December of 1983.

The win over the Raiders would be the highlight of the Ravens' inaugural season as the team managed to win only four games to finish with a 4-12 record but brighter days would so be ahead for Baltimore as four years later they would win the Super Bowl as they defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV, thanks to one of the greatest defenses in NFL history which was led by Lewis.

Since then, the Ravens have become an consistent winner as they have qualified for the postseason 13 time since 2000 as they have claimed six division titles, appeared in the AFC Championship Game and won two Super Bowls, the first in 2000 and the other in 2012.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Jets 2 Kickoff Returns for TDs Gives NY Opening Day Win

Jets kick returner Chad Morton returned six kickoffs for 278 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Jets' opening day win.

Opening Day of the NFL season springs new hope for NFL fans across the country and that was no different in 2002 as the Buffalo Bills hosted the New York Jets to begin their respective seasons.

The Jets were coming off a 10-6 season to make the playoffs under first-year head coach Herm Edwards, where they were eliminated with a 38-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders in the Wild Card Round.

But with veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde and running back Curtis Martin returning, the Jets had high hopes to make the playoffs again.

While Jets fans were looking forward to the season starting, Bills fans were ecstatic as they had acquired former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe in the offseason, who had famously lost his job to Tom Brady following a Week 2 injury after an hit ironically against the Jets.

With Bledsoe at the helm at quarterback, the "Bills Mafia" expected nothing less than a return to the playoffs as they had missed the postseason the previous two years.

The Bills got the ball to start the game as they did not pick up a 1st down on their first three plays, forcing them to punt when punter Brian Moorman was hit by Jets defensive back Nick Ferguson, drawing a 15-yard roughing-the-punter penalty and giving Buffalo a 1st down at their 28-yard-line.

From there, Bledsoe would complete his next four passes totaling 33 yards to set up a 52-yard field goal by Mike Hollis to give the Bills a 3-0 lead with 9:04 left in the first quarter.

The Jets would go three-and-out on their opening drive, giving the ball back to the Bills who took over at their 32-yard-line and drove to the Jets' 32-yard-line until Bledsoe was intercepted by Jets cornerback Aaron Beasley, whose 24-yard return give New York the ball at its own 44-yard-line.

The Jets would punt the ball back to the Bills who would take over at their 20-yard-line and would drove 80 yards in nine plays, aided by two 15-yard New York penalties as defensive tackle Giradie Mercer was called for roughing the passer following a 18-yard completion from Bledsoe to Pearless Price, followed by a 15-yard face mask on Beasley, giving the Bills a 1st down at the 18-yard-line.

Four plays later, Henry was in the end zone following a five-yard touchdown run to increase the Buffalo lead to 10-0 with 12:25 left in the second quarter.

Having being out-gained 175-8 up to this point, the Jets would going to need a spark to turn the tide and get back in the game.

They would get it on the ensuing kickoff as Morton caught Hollis' kick at his two-yard-line, then sliced through the Bills kick return coverage unit for a 98-yard touchdown to cut the Bills' lead to 10-7 with 12:11 to go in the first half.

Morton's touchdown did give the Jets some momentum as the Bills' third play from scrimmage following the kick return, Bledsoe was intercepted again, this time by New York's other cornerback, Donnie Abraham, who returned the pick 13 yards to the Buffalo 19-yard-line.

Two straight penalties pushed the Jets back to the Bills' 29-yard-line, setting up 1st & 20 when Testaverde found tight Anthony Becht for a 21-yard completion and New York's first 1st down of the game.

Two plays later, Testaverde connected with Becht for an one-yard touchdown to give the Jets their second touchdown in under three minutes and a 14-10 lead.

The Bills would respond with a 12-play, 74-yard drive which saw Bledsoe complete four of five passes for 48 yards before letting Henry finish off the drive as he carried the ball four straight times with the last one being a three-yard touchdown to give the lead back to Buffalo at 17-14 with 2:37 left before halftime.

Drew Bledsoe completed 26 of 39 passes for 271 yards and threw a touchdown in his first game as the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback.

Taking over at his 25-yard-line, Testaverde went to a no-huddle offense in an effort to score more points before halftime as he would complete nine of 11 passes for 59 yards to set up a 34-yard field goal by John Hall to tie the game at 17 as the first half came to a close.

The Jets would get the ball to start the second half as they would drive 42 yards in six plays to set up another field goal from Hall, this one from 45 yards out which allowed for New York to retake the lead at 20-17 with 10:50 left in the third quarter.

The Jets would get an opportunity to increase their lead when defensive back Damien Robinson forced and recovered a Travis Henry fumble to give New York the ball at their 46-yard-line.

However, the Jets would go backwards, losing 16 yards on their next three plays, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Bills, who took over at their 37-yard-line.

The Jets defense would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 20-yard-line only to fumble the ball on the second play of the drive when running back Lamont Jordan was hit by Bills defensive tackle Pat Williams to knock the ball loose which was recovered by linebacker Keith Newman at the New York 29-yard-line.

From there, the Bills would drive 29 yards in six plays, with Henry carrying the ball five times for 25 yards, including the two-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 24-20 lead with 58 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Jets would drive 43 yards in six plays before settling for a 48-yard field goal attempt by Hall, which was no good, giving the ball back to the Bills at their 38-yard-line.

Buffalo would go three-and-out and were to set punt from their 41-yard-line when Jets linebacker Jason Glenn would come in and block the punt to give the Jets the ball at the Bills' 24-yard-line.

However, the Jets would not pick up a 1st down and would be forced to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Hall which cut the Bills' lead to 24-23 with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter.

Buffalo got the ball back at their 16-yard-line and seemed to poise to add to their lead when Bledsoe hit Eric Moulds for a 52-yard completion on 3rd & 6 to give the Bills a 1st down at the Jets' 28-yard-line.

But the Jets defense would hold, forcing the Bills to settle for a 50-yard field goal attempt by Hollis, which he missed to keep it a 24-23 game and give the Jets the ball at their 40-yard-line with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter.

Bills running back Travis Henry carried the ball 31 times for 149 yards and scored three touchdowns.

From there, Testaverde would complete three straight passes for 24 yards until he was intercepted by the Bills' Pierson Prioleau, only to have linebacker Eddie Robinson get called for pass interference, nullifying the interception and giving New York a 1st down at the Bills' 18-yard-line.

That is when Testaverde connected with Wayne Cherbet for a 18-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 29-24 lead when Edwards decided to go for two.

The Jets would successfully convert on the two-point conversion as Testaverde completed a pass to Becht to increase the New York lead to 31-24 with 4:47 left in regulation.

The Bills took over at their 24-yard-line and drove 16 yard to their 40-yard-line when on 3rd & 10, Bledsoe was sacked by Jets defensive tackle Jason Ferguson for a seven-yard-loss forcing the Bills to punt the ball away with 3:21 left.

But the Bills would get another roughing the punter call, this time on Robinson, giving the Bills 15 yards and an automatic 1st down at their 48-yard-line.

On the very next play, Henry carried for nine yards, but was followed by two plays which lost a yard setting up a 4th & 2 at the Jets' 44-yard-line with two minutes to go.

The Bills would go for it and make the 1st down as Bledsoe connected with Price for 14 yards, giving Buffalo a 1st down at the New York 30-yard-line.

A holding penalty on left guard Ruben Brown would push the Bills back 10 yards to the Jets' 40-yard-line as the next three plays would pick up 11 yards setting up a do-or-die 4th & 9 from the New York 29-yard-line with 34 seconds left in regulation.

That is when Bledsoe fired toward the end zone and found Moulds for the 29-yard touchdown that with Hollis' extra point, tied the game at 31 with 26 seconds left in regulation.

The Jets would get the ball at their 26-yard-line following a 18-yard return by Morton and three timeouts in their pockets in hopes of driving to set up a potential game-winning field goal.

Testaverde would hit Cherbet for 21 yards on the first play of the drive, which was followed by an illegal contact penalty Bills cornerback Nate Clements to give New York a 1st down at the Bills' 48-yard-line and an opportunity at a Hail Mary.

However, the Jets could not pull off the Hail Mary as an incomplete pass followed by a 24-yard scramble by Testaverde as time expired sent the game into overtime with the game tied at 31.

The Jets would win the critical coin toss and elected to receive to start the extra period.

Morton would catch the kickoff at his four-yard-line, who made one cutback across the field and was gone as he returned the kick 96 yards for a touchdown to give the Jets a shocking 37-31 overtime win.

It marked only the second time that the overtime kickoff had been returned for a touchdown with the previous occasion being Dave Williams' famous 95-yard kickoff return touchdown on Thanksgiving Day in 1980.

The Bills would go on to finish the season at 8-8 as Bledsoe would throw for 4,359 yards, the second most yards he throw during a season in his career.

Two years later, Bledsoe would be traded to the Dallas Cowboys as the Bills would not make the playoffs until 2017.

As for the Jets, they would lose their next four games as Testaverde would be benched in favor of Chad Pennington, but the team would continue to struggle as they fell to a 2-5 record when Edwards launched his famous "You play to win the game" rant during a midweek press conference.

That outburst and Pennington's play sparked the Jets to a 7-2 over the rest of the season to finish with a 9-7 record, good enough to win the AFC East and earn a second straight trip to the playoffs where the Jets humiliated the Indianapolis Colts 41-0 in the Wild Card Round, before being eliminated by the Raiders 30-10 in the Divisional Round.

As for Morton, he would play four more years in the NFL, two with the Washington Redskins, and two more with the New York Giants, as he returned only one more kickoff and one punt for a touchdown during his last four years in the league.

But he is still remembered fondly by Jets fans for his memorable performance on Opening Day in 2002.