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.