JetsBrowns squared off in MNF’s debut in ’70

It was the primetime football game that kicked off decades of mustsee TV.

Broadway Joe and the New York Jets traveled to Cleveland to take on Leroy Kelly and the Browns in the 1970 season opener, with excited viewers around the United States glued to their sets — along with a clubrecord 85,763 at Municipal Stadium — to watch the first “Monday Night Football” game.

The Jets fell behind 217 on Homer Jones’ 94yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half, but Joe Namath’s 33yard touchdown pass to George Sauer in the fourth quarter cut the Browns’ lead to three at 2421.

Billy Andrews sealed the win for Cleveland by intercepting Namath late in the game and returning it 25 yards for the final score.

It was the first in what would become the longestrunning sports series in TV history. The teams will meet again this Monday night at MetLife Stadium — this time with the Browns’ Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. sharing the spotlight with the Jets’ Sam Darnold and Le’Veon Bell, and both teams looking to avoid starting the season 02.

Here’s a look at how that first “Monday Night Football” game affected each team in subsequent seasons:

NEW YORK

The glory days of Namath and the Jets were already fading, two seasons after winning the franchise’s first — and, still, only — Super Bowl title.

There was plenty of optimism in 1970 after New York made the playoffs the previous season, but the loss to the Browns was an omen of disappointment to come.

The Jets rebounded the following week with a 3121 victory over the Boston Patriots, but Namath was lost for the season in Week 5 when he broke his wrist against Baltimore in the teams’ first meeting since New York’s Super Bowl

victory.

Al Woodall replaced Namath and helped snapped the Jets’ sixgame losing streak with consecutive wins against the Los Angeles Rams, Boston and Minnesota. They then skidded to the end of the season with three straight losses.

Namath came back, but played in just 23 games over the next three seasons because of various injuries. The Jets went 1725 during that span and didn’t get back to the playoffs until the 1981 season — four years after Namath retired following a oneseason stint with the Rams.

That 11season postseason drought is the longest in franchise history, with this current Jets squad second at eight years.

CLEVELAND

The Browns were coming off consecutive appearances in the NFL championship game, losing to the Colts in 1968 and the Vikings in 1969. There was lots of uncertainty about the future, though, as the merger between the NFL and AFL was completed and Cleve

land moved to the newly formed AFC.

The win over the Jets on Monday night didn’t springboard the Browns to continued success. Cleveland opened the season 31, but scuffled to a 77 finish and failed to make the playoffs. It was also the final season for coach Blanton Collier, who retired.

Nick Skorich took over and guided the Browns back to the postseason the next two years while going 199 in that span. But Cleveland then went through several years of mediocrity while failing to reach the playoffs again until 1980 under Sam Rutigliano.

The Browns are still looking for their first Super Bowl appearance — joining the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans as the only active franchises to not make it to the NFL’s biggest game.

These days, Cleveland will take just making it to the playoffs, of course. The Browns’ 16year postseason drought is the league’s active longest skid.

MEMORABLE GAMES

1979: The Jets tied it on Kevin Long’s 5yard TD run with under a minute left, but Pat Leahy missed what

would have been the goahead extra point. The Browns fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Jets recovered, allowing Leahy to redeem himself by booting a goahead 21yarder. But Brian Sipe rallied Cleveland down the field and Don Cockroft kicked a tying 35yarder to send it to overtime. An interception of Matt Robinson by Oliver Davis gave the Browns the ball in the extra period, and Cockroft’s 27yarder won it 2522 for Cleveland.

1987: Another OT game, this time in the teams’ only postseason meeting. Freeman McNeil’s TD run gave the Jets a 10point lead with just over four minutes left, but a late hit by Mark Gastineau on a thirddown play kept the Browns alive. Bernie Kosar rallied Cleveland to tie it and send it to overtime. Mark Moseley missed a 23yard field goal in the first overtime, but was good on his 27yarder in the second OT to send the Browns to the AFC championship game with a 2320 victory.

2002: The Jets took a 213 lead under Chad Pennington, then Tim Couch marched the Browns back in the second half. Phil

Dawson kicked a 35yard field goal to put Cleveland ahead 2421 with 3:30 left, and Courtney Brown blocked John Hall’s 44yard tying attempt in the closing seconds to seal it for the Browns.

2010: Moments after Nick Folk’s field goal put the Jets ahead by seven with 2:42 left, Colt McCoy rallied the Browns to a tying touchdown to send it to overtime. Appearing as though the game would finish in a tie, the Jets got the ball with 24 seconds left. Mark Sanchez connected with Santonio Holmes, who took the short pass 37 yards for a touchdown to give New York the 2620 victory.

2018: The Jets grabbed a 140 lead on two touchdown runs by Isaiah Crowell, who celebrated the second against his former team by wiping his rear end with the football in the end zone. It was all downhill from there for New York. Rookie Baker Mayfield replaced injured starter Tyrod Taylor in the second quarter and dazzled in his NFL debut, leading the Browns to a 2117 comeback victory that snapped Cleveland’s 19game winless streak.

Associated Press file photo Jets quarterback Joe Namath, left, talks with head coach Weeb Ewbank during a 1970 practice. Both were a part of the first Monday Night football game that season when New York visited Cleveland.