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Despite the Jets' accomplishments, AFL teams were generally not regarded as having the same caliber of talent as NFL teams. However, three days before the game, an intoxicated Namath appeared at the Miami Touchdown Club and boldly predicted to the audience, "We're gonna win the game. I guarantee it."<ref name=zinser>{{cite news|last=Zinser|first=Lynn|title=Pregame Talk Is Cheap, but This Vow Resonates|date=May 25, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|page=B10|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/sports/hockey/mark-messiers-vow-set-the-bar-for-sports-guarantees.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/67vz1aSjf|archivedate=May 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name=hof/> Jets' head coach [[Weeb Ewbank]], in an [[NFL Films]] segment, once joked that he "could have shot" Namath for the statement. Namath made his famous "guarantee" in response to a rowdy Colts supporter at the club, who boasted the Colts would easily defeat the Jets. Namath said he never intended to make such a public prediction, and never would have done so if he had not been confronted by the fan.<ref name=hof>[http://www.profootballhof.com/history/release.jsp?release_id=822 He guaranteed it – Pro Football Hall of Fame]</ref> Nevertheless, his comments and subsequent performance in the game itself are one of the more famous instances in [[NFL lore]].
Some analysts{{who}} suggested that the Jets' record in the NFL might have been 9–5, which would have made them unlikely to have made the 1968 NFL playoffs altogether, let alone competitive against the dominant Colts.{{fact}}
Despite this, the AFL champions shared the confident feelings of their quarterback. According to Matt Snell, all of the Jets, not just Namath, were insulted and angry that they were 18-point underdogs.<ref name=Snell/> Most of the Jets considered the Raiders, whom they barely beat (27–23) in the [[AFL Championship|AFL title game]], a better team than the Colts. However, watching films of the Colts and in preparation for the game, Jets coaching staff and offensive players noted that their offense was particularly suited against the Colts defense. The Colts defensive schemes relied on frequent blitzing, which covered up weak points in pass coverage. The Jets had an automatic contingency for such blitzes by short passing to uncovered tight ends or backs.<ref>NFL Films America's Game 1968 Jets</ref> After a film session the Wednesday prior to the game, Jets tight end [[Pete Lammons]], a [[Crockett, Texas]], native, was heard to drawl, "Damn, y'all, we gotta stop watching these films. We gonna get overconfident."<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
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