Super Bowl III (1968): New York Jets face Baltimore Colts at Orange Bowl. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl III (1968) is the season's final accounting for 1968. New York Jets and Baltimore Colts arrive at Orange Bowl carrying every snap they have played since training camp. Championship games strip the rest of the schedule away; what is left is whichever team executes its identity longest under the brightest light. The narrative that wins is the one with the trophy attached. Lose, and the season collapses into a footnote no matter how it was played.
The whole league is watching New York Jets and Baltimore Colts. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 1968 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
New York Jets versus Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl III (1968). The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of New York Jets-Baltimore Colts cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-2 | W5 |
| New York Giants | 7-7 | L4 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-9 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 10-4 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 9-4-1 | W4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-9-1 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2-11-1 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts | 13-1 | W8 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-3-1 | L2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-6-1 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-6 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-7-1 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-8-2 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | 0 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 07131616 |
| Baltimore Colts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 00077 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Jets | Matt Snell 4 yard rush ( Jim Turner kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Jets | Jim Turner 32 yard field goal | 10-0 |
| Jets | Jim Turner 30 yard field goal | 13-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Jets | Jim Turner 9 yard field goal | 16-0 |
| Colts | Jerry Hill 1 yard rush ( Lou Michaels kick) | 16-7 |
| Jets | Colts | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 21 | 18 |
| Total Yards | 337 | 324 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 5 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 17/29 | 17/41 |
| Pass yards | 206 | 181 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 4 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 11 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 195 | 181 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 43 | 23 |
| Rush yards | 142 | 143 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 5 | 3 |
| Penalty yards | 28 | 23 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYJ | |||||
| Joe Namath | 17/28 | 206 | 0 | 0 | |
| Babe Parilli | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| BAL | |||||
| Johnny Unitas | 11/24 | 110 | 0 | 1 | |
| Earl Morrall | 6/17 | 71 | 0 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYJ | ||||
| Matt Snell | 30 | 121 | 1 | 12 |
| Emerson Boozer | 10 | 19 | 0 | 8 |
| Bill Mathis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| BAL | ||||
| Tom Matte | 11 | 116 | 0 | 58 |
| Jerry Hill | 9 | 29 | 1 | 12 |
| Johnny Unitas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Earl Morrall | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYJ | ||||
| George Sauer | 8 | 133 | 0 | 39 |
| Matt Snell | 4 | 40 | 0 | 14 |
| Bill Mathis | 3 | 20 | 0 | 13 |
| Pete Lammons | 2 | 13 | 0 | 11 |
| BAL | ||||
| Willie Richardson | 6 | 58 | 0 | 21 |
| Jimmy Orr | 3 | 42 | 0 | 17 |
| John Mackey | 3 | 35 | 0 | 19 |
| Tom Matte | 2 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| Tom Mitchell | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Jerry Hill | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
New York Jets defeated Baltimore Colts 16-7 at Orange Bowl in the Super Bowl III (1968). The final scoring play was Colts: Jerry Hill 1 yard rush ( Lou Michaels kick). Top line of the day: Joe Namath: 206 pass yards on 17-of-28, 0 TD, 0 INT. New York Jets take home the Lombardi Trophy.
New York Jets walked out of Orange Bowl as the team that survived a Super Bowl III (1968) Baltimore Colts will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 16-7. The final scoring play came from Colts: Jerry Hill 1 yard rush ( Lou Michaels kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New York Jets hoist the Lombardi.
New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7. Round: Super Bowl III (1968). Q2: 1 scoring play. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Joe Namath: 206 pass yards on 17-of-28, 0 TD, 0 INT - Matt Snell: 121 rush yards on 30 carries - George Sauer: 8 catches for 133 yards
Super Bowl III (1968), played at Orange Bowl. Final: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7, with New York Jets taking the result by 9. **Second quarter**
- Jets: Matt Snell 4 yard rush ( Jim Turner kick)
**Third quarter**
- Jets: Jim Turner 32 yard field goal - Jets: Jim Turner 30 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Jets: Jim Turner 9 yard field goal - Colts: Jerry Hill 1 yard rush ( Lou Michaels kick)
**Top performers**
- Joe Namath: 206 pass yards on 17-of-28, 0 TD, 0 INT - Matt Snell: 121 rush yards on 30 carries - George Sauer: 8 catches for 133 yards