AFC Title Game: Jets 33, Broncos 10

The New York Jets headed into Mile High Stadium today with a lot of question marks. They were missing their top offensive player, RB Freeman McNeil and their sack master Mark Gastineau. Not having two important players like that will stop most teams. The Jets needed to get a great performance off of McNeil's understudy Johnny Hector and their D-line needed to pressure John Elway.


Denver needed to ride the hot hand, one John Elway. Elway has carried this pedestrian team on his shoulders and right arm all year and specifically in the post season. Without much of a running game Elway has been truly amazing with his right arm.

The first quarter saw neither team score, although the Jets did move down the field with ease on a long drive that should have yielded points but the normally reliable Pat Leahy missed a 39 yarder.

By the second quarter both offenses hit their stride. The Jets scored two TD's and looked to head into the locker room with a 7 point lead when Elway rallied his troops to drive for a half ending field goal. On the Jets 1st TD they were content to nickle and dime the Broncos until Ken O'Brien finally hit Al Toon with a 25 yard TD pass. Elway struck back by using his backs. Not in the conventional sense though. Elway tossed Steve Sewell and Gerald Wilhite 20+ yard passes to move down the field as the Jet secondary was focusing on his wideouts. Sewell caught a 9 yard medium pass to knot the score at 7. The Jets responded with a 13 play drive that lasted almost 7 minutes. O'Brien has a lot of weapons and he was content to spread the ball around. Johnny Hector had a 12 yard run on a draw play and tight end Mickey Shuler caught a 12 yard TD pass.

The first half ended with the score NYJ 14, DEN 10, which coincidently was the exact same score of the last time these two teams met in a title game. Unfortunately for the Broncos the results this time were quite different. In the second half the Jets capitalized on Bronco errors and outstanding quaterback play by O'Brien. New York reeled off 19 unanswered points to put the Broncos away and earn a trip to Pasadena.

Kenny O'Brien proved to be the better "class of 83" QB as he outdueled his much more hearalded counterpart Mr. Elway. OB threw for 356 yards and 4 TD's as he went 27 for 39. Johnny Hector peformed more than admirably rushing 17 for 79. On the defensive front the Jets shut Elway out in the second half. Al Toon was 9-134 and two TD's. Johnny Hector caught 7 passes for 65 yards and a TD as well.