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.
The Jets were placed head-to-head with the top teams of the NFL, the Baltimore Colts. At that time, the AFL was viewed as being less respected than the NFL, and the Jets were widely regarded as substantial underdogs, with many treating them that way.