Tough to Judge Mark Sanchez After First 2 Starts with Philadelphia Eagles

It was difficult not to feel a little bad for Mark Sanchez, who couldn’t handle a snap from Jason Kelce and was now feverishly chasing after it in the middle of a 46-13 blowout. Sanchez was a good 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage when he finally caught up to the oblong ball—where it hopped right over his hands and into those of a defender, who shamelessly returned the gift 49 yards for a touchdown.

Sanchez committed four of the most meaningless turnovers in NFL history in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 52-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, in the sense that his club’s fate was all but sealed by the time any of them happened.

The defeat wasn’t the quarterback’s fault any more than he was the reason behind the Birds’ 45-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers six days earlier, yet that one broken play was all anybody will talk about or remember from Sanchez’s performance, at least until next week.

YR	GMS	INT	FL	RATING
2014	3	4	2	90.3
2012	15	18	8	66.9
2011	16	18	8	78.2
2010	16	13	1	75.3
2009	15	20	3	63.0

No doubt, sympathy finished a distant second to deja vu in describing what a majority of observers were feeling watching another hilarious Sanchez meltdown. Turning the ball over is what he was known for in five seasons as a member of the New York Jets. The name Sanchez is synonymous with the famous “butt fumble,” an unfortunate play where he ran into his own offensive lineman’s backside and lost the pigskin.

Following his release from the Jets, Sanchez signed a one-year contract with the Eagles in the offseason, hoping to put that kind of notoriety behind him, maybe even rejuvenate his career in the process. He was doing a fine job, too, up until the Packers game.

The way he played during the preseason, and the way Nick Foles was playing during the regular season, some people were clamoring for Sanchez to get his shot at redemption.

Two-and-a-half games into his relief appearance for an injured Foles, Sanchez has already authored his share of lowlights, including another funny GIF to send around the office. That being said, it’s tough to appropriately evaluate what he’s done on the field in his short time with the Eagles given the circumstances.

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Sanchez was not playing particularly well at Green Bay even before the turnovers, but who was? Where was soon-to-be-ex-reigning rushing champion LeSean McCoy? Where was the pass protection that allowed Sanchez to take three vicious sacks? Where was the defense to prevent Aaron Rodgers from driving the Packers offense up and down the field with little effort?

Sanchez wound up completing 26 of 44 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns. That was the good. The bad was the two interceptions, including a pick-six thrown right into the hands of outside linebacker Julius Peppers, a fumble lost on a bad exchange with McCoy and, of course, the snap.

That’s often what happens in blowouts, though. Philadelphia was already trailing 30-6 in the third quarter before Sanchez’s first giveaway of the game. The defense knows the offense will be one-dimensional, which means it can sit back and let the Eagles' backup quarterback try to win the game. Those are not optimal circumstances, to say the least.

Honestly, how much can you really take away from a quarterback’s performance in 30 minutes of desperate, garbage-time football?

Likewise, how much praise can be heaped on Sanchez for his part in the Eagles’ dominant victory over the Panthers?

GM	CMP%	YDS	AVG	TD/INT
Wk 9 @ HOU	68.2	202	9.2	2/2
Wk 10 vs. CAR	54.1	332	9.0	2/0
Wk 11 @ GB	59.1	346	7.9	2/2

To his credit, Sanchez didn’t commit a single turnover in the "W"—the first game all season the offense didn’t have a giveaway. Making his first start since December 2012, he completed 20 of 37 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to zero turnovers, Sanchez managed to take just one sack.

Of course, on this occasion, he had plenty of help. Three of the offense’s four scoring drives started in Carolina territory thanks to takeaways by the defense. Darren Sproles added a punt-return touchdown, and Bradley Fletcher tacked on a pick-six for good measure.

Philadelphia built a 38-7 third-quarter lead with Sanchez doing the heavy lifting on one possession up to that point. Don’t get me wrong, he played well, but it’s akin to giving a starting pitcher an eight-run lead a few innings into the game.

Even against the Houston Texans, the game Sanchez relieved Foles, his rate stats were almost the same as the player he was taking over for. Foles completed 75 percent of his passes for a 10.3 average with one touchdown and one interception. Sanchez completed 68 percent with a 9.2 average, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Given all the evidence in front of us, who’s to say which Sanchez is for real—a savior, a walking disaster or something in between? If you're giving him an honest opportunity, the jury is still out.