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New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez took a beating from the Baltimore Ravens in a horrific 34-17 loss Sunday night. Today, the third-year quarterback is taking a beating from the media.
Sanchez had a terrible night Sunday, completing just 11-of-35 passes for 119 yards and one interception. He posted a terrible 30.5 quarterback rating. Using ESPN’s QBR system Sanchez recorded a 0.6, the worst rating for a quarterback with at least 40 plays since 2008.
Daily News columnist Gary Myers wrote “Sanchez was pathetic, sloppy and looked intimidated at times. He had two fumbles returned for touchdowns, he had a pick-six early in the third quarter that destroyed any chance of the Jets coming back and he had an earlier fumble that set up a field goal.”
Some of that criticism is probably justified. Sanchez was awful and has really not been that good this season, but the two sacks he took Monday night don’t reflect the beating he took. He spent the night running for his life, and getting pounded into the turf again and again by Ravens defenders.
The Jets offensive line is terrible, and the eventual return of Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold will help, but it won’t fix everything. The Jets can’t protect Sanchez. They can’t open a hole for a running back.
Right now, it isn’t pretty around Gang Green. And the quarterback is hardly the only one to blame.
The Jets fell to 2-2 last night, suffering an ugly. 34-24 defeat at Baltimore. The Ravens defense was the highest scoring unit on the field.
It was over when…
Lardarius Webb jumped a screen pass intended for Santonio Holmes and returned it 73 yards for a touchdown. It put the Ravens up 34-17 with 8:49 left in the third quarter. The Jets at that point where in range to make it a one score game as a result of a strip sack by Aaron Maybin the Jets recovered. On a night the Jets only gained 150 yards, a 17 point second half deficit was far too much.
Turning Point…
It came on New York’s first offensive snap. Ed Reed blitzed and ran free to the quarterback and stripped Mark Sanchez, who held onto the ball too long. Jameel McClain recovered and ran it back 6 yards for a touchdown that made it 7-0 Baltimore. The Jets trailed the rest of the night.
Three Goats
1. Mark Sanchez: He had three turnovers that resulted in Baltimore touchdowns. He was 11 of 35 throwing. His passer rating was 30.5. It is difficult to win a game when the quarterback plays like that. The Jets scored two non offensive touchdowns and still lost by 17. That is on the quarterback.
2. Offensive Line: It is difficult to single anybody out because all six linemen who saw significant action looked pretty bad. There were constant false starts and blown assignments. Part of it was due to missing Nick Mangold, but there were plenty of blown assignments and mistakes away from the center spot also. Sanchez was bad in his own right, but him spending most of the night on his back did not help.
3. Brian Schottenheimer: Given how poorly his offensive line and quarterback executed, it might not have mattered, but Schottenheimer probably should have tried to move Sanchez around more on bootlegs and roll outs to buy him some time and get him some easy completions to build some confidence.
Silver Linings…
The defense bounced back in a big way from a brutal outing in Oakland. It is easy to overlook the Ravens averaging less than 4 yards per play and turning it over thrice given the way the offense was playing.
Joe McKnight had a 107 yard kickoff return for a touchdown, a forced fumble on special teams, and a pressure as a blitzer on defense that resulted in an interception. That is a pretty good night considering he is really a running back.
Next Up…
The Jets head to Foxborough, the site of both their worst lost and greatest win of last season for a showdown with the 3-1 Patriots. New England won at Oakland Sunday.
The New York Jets fell to 2-2 in 2011 with a Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens by a 34-17 score. The game was a sloppy, turnover-filled affair, with the Jets' offense looking very shaky under Mark Sanchez. The Jets have now lost two in a row and are in third place in the AFC East.
It was a nightmarish start for the Jets' offense. On their first snap, Sanchez was sacked by Ed Reed and fumbled the ball, with the Ravens defense returning the loose ball for a touchdown. New York tied the game immediately on Joe McKnight's 107-yard kickoff return touchdown on the ensuing kick, his first career return TD. The Ravens then scored the next 20 points of the game, in a period where the Jets looked as bad as they have during Rex Ryan's tenure.
Two poor defensive series resulted in a Billy Cundiff field goal and a three-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice to give the Ravens a 17-7 advantage. Then, Sanchez was again sacked and lost control of the ball, as Jarrett Johnson recovered the fumble and went 26 yards for a score. Earlier in the half, the Jets replaced center Colin Baxter with starting left guard Matt Slauson, and Vladimir Ducasse took over at guard. Baxter looked overwhelmed at times, with the Ravens pinpointing him with pressure, and he struggled on two snaps to Sanchez - however it looked as though both snaps could have been Sanchez's fault. Baxter did return to the game late in the first half as the offensive line continued to struggle.
When it looked like it had gotten away from the Jets, Joe Flacco gave them a lifeline when with just over six minutes left in the half, his pass was intercepted by David Harris and returned for a touchdown. The Jets also got a Nick Folk field goal before halftime to cut the Ravens' lead to 27-17 going into the interval.
Early in the second half the Jets' defense made another big play, as Aaron Maybin stripped Flacco and the Jets recovered the ball deep in Ravens territory. But on New York's next play Sanchez was intercepted by Lardarius Webb, and Webb returned the ball for a touchdown to give the Ravens a 34-17 lead and end the scoring for the night.
The Jets remain on the road and will visit the New England Patriots in Week 5 as it doesn't appear to be getting any easier. We'll have more breakdown of this game plus a look at the Jets-Patriots showdown. But it seems as though for the first time under Rex Ryan, the Jets are in a state of panic.
Location: M&T Bank Stadium
Coverage: Nationally broadcast on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will call the game, Michele Tafoya will field report. Westwood One Radio: Dave Sims James Lofton Sean Landeta.
Center Nick Mangold practiced briefly for the New York Jets on Friday, his first on-field work since suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago. Mangold has been listed as "questionable" for Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Jets head coach Rex Ryan said Mangold is a "game-time" decision.
"I think if today was the game, I would say no. But, the fact it's a Sunday night game may help the process. "He's a legitimate game-time (decision). Not one of those, you really know what's going to happen and say he's (a) game-time (decision). He literally is (a) game-time (decision)."
Here is your full Friday Jets-Raves injury report:
NEW YORK JETS
Out
Logan Payne (WR) Wrist
Questionable
Nick Mangold (C) Ankle
Probable
Plaxico Burress (WR) Hamstring
Antonio Cromartie (CB) Ribs
Mike DeVito (DL) Shoulder
David Harris (LB) Toe
Santonio Holmes (WR) Shoulder
Muhammad Wilkerson (DL) Shoulder
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Out
Lee Evans (WR) Ankle
Haruki Nakamura (S) Knee
David Reed (WR) Shoulder
Jimmy Smith (CB) Ankle
Doubtful
Dannell Ellerbe (LB) Thigh
Questionable
Chris Carr (CB) Thigh
Ben Grubbs (G) Toe
Probable
Matt Birk (C) Knee
Corey Redding (DE) Toe
(Sports Network) – Baltimore Raves quarterback Joe Flacco has a 20-5 career record at home with 32 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions and a 93.3 passer rating. The Ravens are 19-2 when he has a 100- plus rating, and Flacco had a career-high 389 pass yards last week. Running back Ray Rice had 162 yards from scrimmage (79 rushing, 83 receiving) in last year’s win over the Jets, while in three career games against New York, wide receiver Anquan Boldin has averaged 105.3 receiving yards (316 total) and will be aiming for a third straight outing with 100-plus yards against the Jets. Wide receiver Lee Evans has five career touchdowns versus the Jets, though the ex-Buffalo Bill is doubtful to play this week with a sprained ankle. Rookie Torrey Smith took Evans’ place last week, and the 2011 second-round pick became the first rookie in NFL history with three touchdown receptions in the first quarter of a game, scoring from 74, 41 and 18 yards out.
For the Jets, aggressive linebacker Bart Scott spent seven seasons alongside Lewis at Baltimore from 2002-08. Sixth-year safety Eric Smith has 20 tackles to lead the backfield, in addition to a sack and an interception. Up front, defensive end Mike DeVito has nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble through three games.
The Baltimore offense is eighth in scoring (28.3 ppg), 11th in total yards (389.0 ypg), 13th in passing yards (261.3 ypg) and eighth in rushing (127.7 ypg). Defensively, the Jets are 12th in scoring defense (20.3 ppg), 11th in yards allowed (325.3 ypg), sixth against the pass (188.7 ypg) and second from last against the run (136.7 ypg).
(Sports Network) – Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez aims for his fourth game in a row with two or more touchdown throws and an 85-plus passer rating. He had a career-best 369 passing yards in last week’s loss to the Raiders. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson has averaged 85.5 rush yards per game against Baltimore over four lifetime meetings. Last week, Tomlinson joined Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (208) and Emmitt Smith (175) as the only players in history to score 160 touchdowns with a scoring catch. He posted his third career 100-yard receiving game against the Raiders with a 116-yard effort and leads AFC running backs with 196 receiving yards in 2011. Wide receiver Santonio Holmes aims for a seventh consecutive game with a touchdown against Baltimore. The former Steeler has seven career touchdown catches against the Ravens, his most versus any opponent. Wide receiver Derrick Mason spent six seasons (2005-10) with Baltimore before joining the Jets this offseason and needs 38 receiving yards to become the 18th player in NFL history to reach 12,000. Tight end Dustin Keller ranks second among AFC players at his position with 249 receiving yards, trailing only New England’s Rob Gronkowski’s 281 yards.
The Baltimore defense is tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions, trailing only Buffalo’s six. Linebacker Ray Lewis (39.5 sacks, 31 interceptions) needs just half a sack to reach 40 for his career and can become the first player in league history with 40 sacks and 30 picks. Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs has 15 sacks in his past 19 games and safety Ed Reed has an interception in two of three career games against the Jets.
The Jets are ninth in the NFL in scoring (27.7 points per game), 16th in total offense (360.7 yards per game), 10th in passing (278.7 ypg) and an uncharacteristic 25th in rushing (82.0 ypg). Defensively, Baltimore is first in the league in scoring defense (13.3 ppg), 13th in total yards allowed (329.3 ypg), 17th against the pass (245.3 ypg) and sixth in rushing defense (84.0 ypg).
Last Meeting: The Ravens spoiled the opening of New Meadowlands (now MetLife) Stadium with a Week 1 Monday night 10-9 victory. The Jets did not look sharp at all. Mark Sanchez hit only 10 of 21 passes for 74 yards, while New York racked up 13 penalties and 120 yards.
Key Matchup When the Jets Have the Ball: Mark Sanchez vs. Ed Reed
Mark Sanchez has taken a lot of chances early in the season. Some have resulted in huge plays, but he also has four interceptions in three games as a result. In a game with two stout defenses, turnovers and field position are going to be very important. Nobody is better at jumping routes, reading the quarterback, and making plays on bad throws than Reed.
Key Matchup When the Ravens Have the Ball: Ray Rice vs. David Harris
Joe Flacco gets some headlines, but Rice is the most important player on Baltimore’s offense. The Ravens love to run it up the gut. According to Football Outsiders, over half of their run plays this season have been up the middle. Can Harris, New York’s best tackler, finish his tackles to limit Rice?
Three Simple Keys for the Jets:
1. Take Advantage on the Outside: The temptation will exist to try and assert the run game that has been a staple of New York’s offense but has struggled so far. The Ravens have a ton of really good run defenders in the front seven (Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Terrence Cody), though, and Nick Mangold’s status is up in the air. The Jets can exploit Baltimore’s sometimes shaky corners with Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress through the air. That is where the edge is for New York.
2. Correct the Breakdowns: The Jets did not get blown off the ball consistently in Oakland last week when the Raiders had a big rushing day. The Raiders just took advantage of a handful of plays where Jets got out of position and blew tackles, breaking some huge gains. Gang Green needs to be more fundamentally sound this week defensively.
3. Give Wayne Hunter Help: The Ravens play an attacking style on defense. It seems likely they will look to exploit Terrell Suggs against Wayne Hunter the same way the Cowboys used DeMarcus Ware Week 1 to avoid D’Brickashaw Ferguson. The Jets need to give Hunter help consistently when this happens in the form of an extra blocker or at least a chip by a back or a tight end in the area to throw the rusher off balance.
Oddsmakers have listed the New York Jets as 3.5-point underdogs for their Sunday night meeting in Maryland with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Jets (2-1) are coming off their first loss of the season, a disappointing 34-24 defeat at the hands of the Oakland Raiders. Prior to that the Jets narrowly defeated the Dallas Cowboys, then routed the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Ravens (2-1) have routed the Pittsburgh Steelers and St. Louis Rams. Sandwiched in-between those games, however, was an upset loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans.
Sunday night's game will mark the first time Jets coach Rex Ryan has returned to Baltimore. He was defensive coordinator for the Ravens prior to become coach of the Jets.
See SB Nation's NFL Odds page for the up-to-date line on all of this week's NFL games
-- For complete Jets coverage you can turn to SB Nation's Gang Green Nation. For Ravens coverage, Baltimore Beatdown is the place to go.
Fresh off a breakout performance against the Rams last week, the Jets are going to have to account for Ravens rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith.
Gang Green Nation ponders whether the Jets match up better against Smith than the Rams did.
Despite his penalty problems last week, Antonio Cromartie’s specialty is using his ungodly athleticism to cover guys down the field. While his game leaves plenty of room for criticism, he is usually pretty solid there. If he cannot go, the Jets have a pretty good alternative in Kyle Wilson. The rookie who looked lost in his first NFL game against Baltimore is long gone. It is difficult to think of one time he has been beaten in the first three weeks. His game is pretty well suited to play Smith. Wilson is good at being physical at the line to prevent a clean release and has been timed in the low to mid 4.3’s in the 40 yard dash.
Smith, a rookie from Maryland, went for 5 catches, 152 yards, and 3 touchdowns last week.
Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens marks the first time New York Jets coach Rex Ryan will return to Baltimore since becoming Jets head coach in 2009. Ryan was an assistant with the Ravens from 1999-2008, the last four seasons as defensive coordinator.
Ryan admitted being bitter when the Ravens chose John Harbaugh as head coach in 2008 rather than giving him the job.
“Was I bitter about not getting the head coaching job? Yes, absolutely,” Ryan said on Wednesday.
Ryan became head coach of the Jets after one season of working as defensive coordinator under Harbaugh. “It’s been a blessing to come here,” Ryan said.
Center Nick Mangold and cornerback Antonio Cromartie did not practice Wednesday for the New York Jets as they began preparations for Sunday’s trip to Maryland to face the Baltimore Ravens. Mangold has a high ankle sprain that kept him out of Sunday’s 32-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Cromartie suffered bruised ribs and a bruised lung in that game.
The playing status of each for Sunday against Baltimore was uncertain. Cromartie apparently worked on the side seemingly without discomfort. Early reports are that he would be more likely to play against the Ravens than Mangold.
Without Mangold, Colin Baxter would make his second straight start at center for the Jets.
Injury Report
New York Jets
Did Not Practice
Nick Mangold © High Ankle Sprain
Antonio Cromartie (CB) Bruised Ribs/Lung
Limited Participation In Practice
David Harris (LB) Toe
Muhammad Wilkerson (DE) Shoulder
Full Participation In Practice
Mike DeVito (DL) Shoulder
Santonio Holmes (WR) Shoulder
Baltimore Ravens
Did Not Practice
Matt Birk (C) Knee
Dannell Ellerbe (LB) Thigh
Lee Evans (WR) Ankle
Ben Grubbs (G) Toe
Haruki Nakamura (S) Knee
Cory Redding (DE) Toe
David Reed (WR) Shoulder
Jimmy Smith (CB) Ankle
The New York Jets announced today that four more players will be inducted into their Ring of Honor. Larry Grantham, Freeman McNeil, Al Toon and Gerry Philbin will be enshrined during a halftime ceremony when the Jets host the Miami Dolphins on Monday, Oct. 17.
Grantham, a linebacker, played for the Titans and Jets from 1960-73. He was named AFL All-Pro in his first five seasons as Titan/Jet and played in five AFL All-Star Games.
McNeil was drafted third overall by the Jets in 1981. He starred as a running back for 12 seasons and led the team in rushing for eight straight years. He finished his career with 8,074 rushing yards, the franchise record until Curtis Martin broke it 12 years later in 2004.
Philbin was a defensive end for the Jets from 1964-72. He had 64.5 sacks in his Jets career, fourth on the team’s all-time list.
Toon, a wide receiver, played with the Jets from 1985-92. He led the Jets in receptions for six consecutive seasons, from 1986-91 He also set the franchise mark with 101 consecutive games with at least one reception, a streak he began as a rookie and ended in his final season with the club. … Finished his career with 517 receptions, 6,605 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 19 100-yard games.
Images of each Ring of Honor member also hang in the field house of the team’s practice facility and headquarters, the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. The 2010 class included Weeb Ewbank, Winston Hill, Joe Klecko, Curtis Martin, Don Maynard and Joe Namath.
Aaron Maybin, a 2009 first-round pick who was a bust with the Buffalo Bills and was cut by both the Bills and New York Jets during the preseason, is being brought back for a second chance with the Jets.
The New York Daily News first reported this morning that Maybin will take the roster spot vacated when offensive lineman Rob Turner was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Maybin had no sacks and just 23 tackles in his two seasons with Buffalo. He had 1.5 sacks in the Jets preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, however.
Maybin was the 11th overall selection of the 2009 NFL Draft, but the Bills gave up on him after just two seasons.
Gang Green Nation’s John B says the move has the feel of desperation for a defense that has not played as well as anticipated thus far. John wrote, in part:
I hate to play the role of Buzz Killington, but I am not sure how much this move will help the team. It seems to me a shot in the dark that indicates the front office recognizes a problem with the inability of pass rushers to get to the quarterback without sending extra blitzers.
-- See Gang Green Nation for complete discussion and analysis
-- See Gang Green Nation for complete discussion and analysis of the Jets