With just three days left before Super Bowl III, a young, injury plagued quarterback named Joe Namath guaranteed his New York Jets would defeat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. Las Vegas odds makers picked the Colts to win the game by nineteen points, but Namath led the Jets to one of the biggest upsets in American sports history.
The Jets (11-3) entered the game after narrowly beating the Oakland Raiders, 27-23, in the American Football League (AFL) Championship Game. Namath threw for 3,147 yards in the regular season and threw two more interceptions (17) than he did touchdowns (15). And although he completed only 49.2 percent of his passes, Namath could usually find a way to win.
The Colts, a surprise choice to make the Super Bowl, were led by quarterback Earl Morall who had replaced the legendary Johnny Unitas after Unitas injured his elbow early in the season. Morall had been with four different teams in twelve years and was never a permanent starter, yet he captured that the NFL MVP Award that season.
After a shaky start early in the first quarter, Namath attacked the Colts defense with quick passes and even quicker feet. He drove the ball eightyyards in the second quarter and with the help of an interception for a touchdown, led the Jets to a 7-0-halftime lead. Namath continued to pick the Colts apart in the second half, while the Jets defense foiled Morall, intercepting him three times in the third quarter.
The Jets added two field goals in the third quarter and another in the fourth for a 16-0 lead. Late in the fourth quarter, Unitas went in to replace Morrall and with the help of three Jets penalties, managed a touchdown with just over three left on the clock. The Colts attempted an onside kick but the Jets recovered the ball, destroying any chance of a Colts comeback. With 17 completions for 206 yards, Namath was named the MVP despite not having thrown a touchdown pass.
The first two Super Bowls had been one sided, with the NFL champion easily defeating the much weaker AFL champion. Just one year before, the idea of the two leagues ever competing on a level field seemed doomed to failure, but the Jets16-7 victory proved the AFL could defeat the NFL and the future of the Super Bowl was safe.
