pinnacle of their existence and provide the moment that would indicate the AFL's coming of age. Under Namath's guidance, the Jets rose to the top of the AFL, defeating the Oakland Raiders in a thrilling AFL championship game, 27–23. The win qualified them to represent their league in a game that was being referred to for the first time as the Super Bowl (and referred to retroactively as Super Bowl III). They were pitted against the champions of the NFL, the Baltimore Colts. At the time, the AFL was considered to be inferior to the NFL, and most considered the Jets to be considerable underdogs and treated them as such. That would change three nights before the game while Namath was being honored by the Miami Touchdown Club as its Player of the Year. Namath took exception to a heckling Colts fan and used that moment to lament the lack of respect his team had gotten to that point. He then said "The Jets will win Sunday. I guarantee it." His audacious remark proved correct, as the Jets created one of the greatest upsets in football history by defeating the Colts 16–7. This victory showed that the AFL was capable of competing with the NFL. Scoring summary Game officials Preseason Regular season game officials Postseason Media Stats Passing Rushing Receiving Kicking Punting Kick Return Punt Return Defense & Fumbles Scoring Summary Team Quarter-by-quarter Pop Culture In the 2017 song Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled, Rihanna makes a reference to the '68 Jets. Awards and honors Joe Namath, AFL MVP Joe Namath, UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year Joe Namath, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player References External links 1968 team stats New York Jets seasons Super Bowl champion seasons American Football League championship seasons New York Jets New York Jets 1960s in Queens