As I watched Mark Sanchez lead his New York Jets to an incredible win over the San Diego Chargers Sunday, I thought about what it must be like to be the quarterback of the New York Jets.

I don’t mean the money or the fame; I mean the realization that, no matter what greatness you achieve, no matter how many games you win, you will always lose the battle against the legend of Joe Namath. You’ll never outshine Broadway Joe.

And I understand that. But how good was Joe Namath? How deserving is he of the praise he’s received over the past forty-plus years? Sure, Namath authored the greatest upset in the game’s history and was the first man to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. But, what else is there? Can you think of any other achievement that stands out?

I can’t. And so I make the following claim: There is no other Pro Football Hall of Famer whose status is more reliant upon the result of a single play. Not game. Play.

That play is hardly remembered – even by the most rabid NFL fans – but it occurred on December 29, 1968 at Shea Stadium in the AFL Championship Game between the Jets and Oakland Raiders. The Jets were trailing Oakland 23-20 in the game’s final minutes when Namath launched a pass down the right sideline in the direction of Don Maynard. The Hall of Fame receiver recalls, “The wind took the ball one way, and then another and I reached around about 180 degrees and caught it”.

The play covered 52 yards and put the Jets at the Oakland six-yard line. On the next play, Namath hit Maynard for the go-ahead score. The Jets won 27-23 and would, two weeks later, shock the world.

But what if the wind had pushed the pass just a bit more? What if Maynard wasn’t one of the best receivers ever? What if the pass had been incomplete? Would the Jets still have been able to drive to the winning score? Maybe. But it’s just as likely – perhaps more likely – that they would not have. Would Joe Namath still be a Hall of Fame quarterback if it had been the Colts and the Raiders in Super Bowl III?

I say no.

Namath’s career numbers are shockingly pedestrian when compared to his other Cantonites. There are 16 other Hall of Fame quarterbacks whose careers began after 1950 – to me, the most logical year to begin the era of the modern passing game. Of those 16, only three had fewer passing yards than Namath’s 27,663. In order, they are Bob Griese (25,092), Bart Starr (24,718) and Roger Staubach (22,700). All three of those men won two Super Bowls. Griese played in three. Staubach played in four. Starr won three NFL titles before the Super Bowl even began.

Additionally, Namath ranks last in that Sweet Sixteen in completion percentage (50.1) and passer rating (65.5). He is the only member of that group with more interceptions than touchdown passes and it isn’t even close (220-173). He and Sonny Jurgensen are the only two Hall of Fame quarterbacks with losing records as starters in the regular season.

I know the passing game has seen both bull and bear markets over the years and comparing quarterbacks from different eras is tricky. So, I wanted to see where Namath ranked amongst his contemporaries. In the two decades in which Namath played, he was tenth in passing yards. Of the nine ahead of him, five – John Hadl, Norm Snead, John Brodie, Roman Gabriel and Jim Hart – are not in the Hall. None of them won championships as starters, adding to my claim that Namath is in the Hall because of Super Bowl III. The only championship team that any of those five even played on was Hadl’s 1963 San Diego Chargers. Oddly, it was the only season of Hadl’s career in which he failed to start at least one game.

Back to Joe.

If the Jets lose that AFL Championship Game, Namath retires without a post-season win. Only Y.A. Tittle and Sonny Jurgensen gained induction without a win as a starter in the post-season. As it is, Namath won just two post-season games. Three other Jet quarterbacks – Richard Todd, Chad Pennington and now Sanchez  - have won as many. He has fewer post-season wins than Jay Schroeder.

The ball was caught. The Jets beat the Raiders. The Jets beat the Colts. Joe Namath is in the Hall of Fame. But it ain’t by much.