Remembering Curtis Martin‘s 2003 winter wonderland performance is a necessity considering the most recent Nor’easter to hit the area.
The New York/New Jersey area just got dumped on. Detailing just how much snow fell seems like a fruitless task when walking becomes a challenge. Just understand this Nor’easter is one for the books. It’s at least something to remember.
Falling in the “something to remember” category is Curtis Martin‘s incredible winter wonderland performance in 2003.
On Dec. 14, 2003, the 5-8 New York Jets and 5-8 Pittsburgh Steelers were both uncharacteristically out of playoff contention. Herm Edwards‘s squad had made the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons, while Bill Cowher‘s team seemingly always knew what relevance felt like.
The always balanced, vision-ladened Hall of Fame running back ran the football beautifully in the snow. And on this day, at the Meadowlands, Martin took center stage in the midst of a snowy-white backdrop.
The 2004 rushing champ piled up 228 total yards in his winter wonderland 2003 performance. The Jets social media team reminded everybody of the sights and sounds on Monday as the snow fell rapidly in the metropolitan area.
.@curtismartin's 228 total yards in the snow was a performance for the ages. pic.twitter.com/gDl7jSN9ej
— New York Jets (@nyjets) February 1, 2021
Martin went for a cool 174 yards on 30 carries. His long of 56 helped cap the 6-0 Jets win in the fourth quarter.
Doug Brien‘s two field goals were enough on this day, as were Chad Pennington‘s 144 yards through the air. In fact, if it were up to the defensive-minded Herm Edwards—who never shied away from the conservative in-game approach—he might confess to wanting this much snow on every game day.
The story of the 2003 Jets remains a frustrating one. Derailed by Pennington’s preseason injury against the New York Giants, the come-from-behind kids from a year ago couldn’t duplicate that success and finished 6-10.
A year later, as previously mentioned, Martin went on to win the rushing title with 1,697 yards while running behind an excellent offensive line. The Jets would win 10 games and knock off a good San Diego Chargers team in the wild card round.
This snowy December bout the year prior may have helped kickstart that excellent 2004 campaign.
