Sanchez Fails In Jets 17-13 Loss To Broncos

On paper the Denver Broncos were the perfect team to help the New York Jets get back to their winning ways.  Well as we all know by now the games are not played on paper and the New York Jets went out and embarrassed themselves losing the to the  Broncos 17-13.  This loss is as tough as it gets and leaves Gang Green searching for answers especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Offense

Sanchez struggles once again- To say quarterback Mark Sanchez (24/40 252 yards 1 int) was awful on Thursday night is an understatement as the young signal caller was completely lost on the football field.  Sanchez repeatedly missed wide open receivers and once again threw a costly interception for a touchdown.  Mark has lost the feel for the game and is starting to get “happy feet” in the pocket which leads to erratic throws.  This was an inexcusable performance by the Jets quarterback, one that cost his team the game.

Wayne Hunter- Does Matt Slauson still think that Wayne Hunter is an upgrade over Damien Woody?  Right tackle Wayne Hunter once again struggled on Thursday night especially in pass protection where his defenders were getting free shots on quarterback Mark Sanchez.  It is almost to the point where Hunter is a liability against any decent pass rusher.

Brian Schottenheimer- Can you please explain to me how the fade pass to Plaxico Burress is not called at least once during a series in the redzone? How about using three step drops to help Mark Sanchez get in rhythm early on in the game? Or what about getting tight end Dustin Keller involved early in the game in order to open up the rest of the field?  The Jets have entirely too many weapons on offense to be this inept.  Brian Schottenheimer needs to throw away all of his formations and gimmicks (quick snap to McKnight? seriously?) and streamline this offense.

Game management- For whatever reason the Jets are starting to have issues with time management and game management.  The Jets once again wasted a timeout with confusion over the decision to kick a field goal.  Then there were some questionable decisions regarding where to get the ball in order to get Nick Folk into range.   You need to play the game to win.  If you are coaching scared due to your quarterback, then that player should not be in the game.

Defense

Dominate performance- It is really hard to find fault with a defense that completely dominated the Broncos for 55 minutes of the game.  Yes the last drive that encompassed 95 yards over approximately 5 minutes stings, but the Jets defense put the team a in position to win. If there is one area to nitpick on it is the tackling by the safeties Eric Smith and Jim Leonhard.  Several times these guys were either caught out of position or missed tackles and the end result was some big plays including the game losing touchdown.

Special Teams

T.J. Conley– A 12 yard punt? It seems that T.J. is good for at least one shank a week at this point.

Another fumble- Joe McKnight is an explosive returner but if he keeps fumbling the ball none of his skills will matter.  McKnight has to do a better job taking care of the ball.

Overall

This is a brutal loss for the New York Jets and it really puts the team in a tough spot in terms of making the playoffs.  With five conference losses the Jets will not have many tiebreakers, therefore Gang Green will more than likely have to win 5 of 6 to make the playoffs.

Tyson Rauch

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