The 1970 New York Jets season was the 11th season for the team and the first in the
National Football League, following the
AFL–NFL merger. It began with the team trying to maintain or improve upon its 10–4 record from 1969 under head coach
Weeb Ewbank. The Jets finished with a record of 4–10.
One of the highlights of the season was the Jets' first game when they appeared on the first ever
Monday Night Football game vs. the Cleveland Browns. The Jets lost the game 31–21.
In the fifth game of the season, quarterback
Joe Namath was lost for the season when he broke his wrist vs. the
Baltimore Colts in
Shea Stadium, the first meeting between the teams since Namath guaranteed victory in
Super Bowl III. Namath's injury occurred when he hit his hand on the helmet of Colts defensive tackle
Fred Miller. With Namath on the sidelines, the Jets were forced to play untested
Al Woodall, who guided New York to upsets of NFC powerhouses Los Angeles and Minnesota, but only one other victory, over the lowly
Boston Patriots.
