Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
New York Jets‘ veteran quarterback Mark Sanchez, who is fighting to stay the team’s starting quarterback in 2013, once again impressed and then depressed the coaching staff and the fans last night against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sanchez’s first drive was brilliant as he completed every single pass he attempted, including another touchdown pass to tight end Jeff Cumberland, like he did the week before, and right away brought the Jets out to an early 7-0 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now the Jets did end up winning the game, 37-13, evening their record to 1-1 this preseason, but Sanchez, for what it feels like to be the millionth time, could not maintain any consistency and fell into some bad old habits that are indeed growing old on all of the coaches and fans alike.
After completing his first five pass attempts to start the game, he then only completed 8 of his next 18 and even gaffed at the end of the first half in failing to get the Jets any points before halftime. However, it should be noted that head coach Rex Ryan also played a role so not all the blame should be placed on Sanchez. He ended up finishing 13/23 for 169 yards, one touchdown, and of course one interception.
We all know by now that Sanchez is prone to those interceptions, and just cannot shake that habit, but this interception was sadly enough in the red zone which is a big no-no, and even more of one if you consider this Jets team this year.
The Jets have a very tough regular season schedule this year against a lot of very good teams with exceptional defenses. If the Jets want to compete this year and be in games, the last thing they should do is throw an interception, especially in the red zone.
With all that being said, Sanchez still remains the favorite to win the QB competition and start the 2013 NFL regular season because his biggest competition, rookie quarterback Geno Smith, did not even play last night because of an ankle injury he suffered last week in the Jets first preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
All us Jets fans can hope for is for the offensive line to hold up, the defense to show up every game, (which they didn’t early on yesterday as they let the Jaguars march down the field in their first few possessions) and for the receivers to consistently find ways to get open because expecting Sanchez to limit his amount of interceptions seems like an insurmountable task at this point.
Steven Carollo is a sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, and join his Google network.
