| Team: | New York Jets |
| Year: | 1985 |
| Record: | 11–5 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFC East |
| Coach: | Joe Walton |
| General Manager: | Jim Kensil |
| Owner: | Leon Hess |
| Stadium: | Giants Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Patriots) 14–26 |
| Pro Bowlers: | QB Ken O'Brien RB Freeman McNeil DT Joe Klecko DE Mark Gastineau LB Lance Mehl |
| Shortnavlink: | Jets seasons |
The 1985 New York Jets season was the 26th season for the team and the 16th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 7–9 record from 1984 under head coach Joe Walton. Among quarterbacks, Ken O'Brien had the lowest rate of interceptions, with only eight interceptions in 488 passing attempts. The Jets finished the season with a record of 11–5, qualifying for the top Wild Card spot in the playoffs. On October 14, during a Monday Night Halftime ceremony, the Jets retired Joe Namath's number 12, and helped inspire the Jets to a 23–7 victory over the Dolphins. In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, they fell at home to the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots 26–14.
NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled Just The Beginning; it was narrated by Jeff Kaye.
See main article: article and 1985 NFL Draft.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–37 | 0–1 | Giants Stadium | 30,097 | ||
| 2 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 20–24 | 0–2 | Riverfront Stadium | 40,371 | ||
| 3 | at New York Giants | L 31–34 | 0–3 | Giants Stadium | 63,174 | ||
| 4 | at Green Bay Packers | W 30–20 | 1–3 | Lambeau Field | 56,753 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 0–31 | 0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 57,123 | ||
| 2 | September 15 | Buffalo Bills | W 42–3 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 63,449 | ||
| 3 | September 22 | at Green Bay Packers | W 24–3 | 2–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,667 | ||
| 4 | September 29 | Indianapolis Colts | W 25–20 | 3–1 | Giants Stadium | 61,987 | ||
| 5 | October 6 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 29–20 | 4–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 51,785 | ||
| 6 | October 14 | Miami Dolphins | W 23–7 | 5–1 | Giants Stadium | 73,807 | ||
| 7 | October 20 | at New England Patriots | L 13–20 | 5–2 | Sullivan Stadium | 58,163 | ||
| 8 | October 27 | Seattle Seahawks | W 17–14 | 6–2 | Giants Stadium | 69,320 | ||
| 9 | November 3 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 35–17 | 7–2 | Hoosier Dome | 59,683 | ||
| 10 | November 10 | at Miami Dolphins | L 17–21 | 7–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 73,965 | ||
| 11 | November 17 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 62–28 | 8–3 | Giants Stadium | 65,344 | ||
| 12 | November 24 | New England Patriots | W 16–13 (OT) | 9—3 | Giants Stadium | 74,100 | ||
| 13 | November 28 | at Detroit Lions | L 20–31 | 9–4 | Pontiac Silverdome | 65,531 | ||
| 14 | December 8 | at Buffalo Bills | W 27–7 | 10–4 | Rich Stadium | 23,122 | ||
| 15 | December 14 | Chicago Bears | L 6–19 | 10–5 | Giants Stadium | 74,752 | ||
| 16 | December 22 | Cleveland Browns | W 37–10 | 11–5 | Giants Stadium | 59,073 | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
| Jets | Game Statistics | Raiders | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | First downs | 19 | |
| 24–62 | Rushes–yards | 35–122 | |
| 192 | Passing yards | 258 | |
| 16–29–2 | 15–22–0 | ||
| 10–61 | Sacked–yards | 4–24 | |
| 131 | Net passing yards | 234 | |
| 193 | Total yards | 356 | |
| 0 | Return yards | 125 | |
| 7–43 | 4–37 | ||
| 1–0 | Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | |
| 2–10 | Penalties–yards | 7–60 | |
| 28:21 | Time of possession | 31:39 |