New York Jets: Mark Sanchez Shines Again to Move Into First Place In AFC East
It was a hard-fought game down in Miami between two AFC East rivals. The Jets and Dolphins squared off, and there wasn't a moment in the game that it felt lopsided.
In fact, it came down to the very last play of the game, and the Jets stopped Chad Henne to prevail. Both quarterbacks played great, and the two defenses that were supposed to be great, were anything but.
What's there to take out of this game for the Jets, and how did they pull out the victory? Find out here in a complete game breakdown.
Game Recap: Jets 31, Dolphins 23
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The Jets were playing their first road game of the season in Miami, where the Dolphins were playing their first home game.
Knowing with a win they could take over first place, the Jets took care of business, led by their second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez growing up in front of everybody.
They scored on their first possession of the game, as Sanchez anchored a 10-play, 72-yard drive, capped off by a Dustin Keller 24-yard touchdown.
Sanchez looked as good, if not better, than last week. He has still not thrown an interception this season, throwing three touchdowns for a second consecutive game.
The Jets defense wasn't as great as it should be, getting burned on third downs again. They allowed seven third-down conversions, including some long ones from 15 yards out.
The Jets led, 7-0, after the first quarter, as they dominated. Chad Henne couldn't get anything done until the second, when the Dolphins started coming together.
That wasn't until after the Jets scored another touchdown, taking a 14-0 lead, on another touchdown by Keller. It looked like the Jets were flying high, but the Dolphins fought back.
They got a touchdown and field goal, trailing, 14-10, at halftime. The Jets defense wasn't as efficient and Henne found ways to use Brandon Marshall better against Antonio Cromartie.
The Dolphins started the third quarter well, taking a 17-14 lead on a Marshall touchdown.
The Jets took the lead right back, 21-17, on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Braylon Edwards on the first play of the drive.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 21-20 lead, both teams put some nice plays together, but it was the Jets that avoided a ton of holding penalties to win the game.
After both teams exchanged field goals, the Jets put together a 12 play, 80 yard drive for a touchdown, capped off by a LaDainian Tomlinson one-yard run.
The Jets took a 31-23 lead, and held on by intercepting Henne in the end zone on the final play of the game. The Dolphins would've needed a two-point conversion after a touchdown to tie the game.
With the win, the Jets are now alone in first place in the AFC East. They have the best division record at 2-0, and have wins over both the Dolphins and Patriots.
Continue reading for a complete game breakdown, with what the Jets did to win the game, including which players stood out on Sunday night.
Mark Sanchez Proving He Can Be an Elite QB
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Perhaps the time has finally come where Mark Sanchez is becoming an elite quarterback. Over the past two weeks, he's been brilliant, and is playing the best pro football of his short career.
After throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots last week, Sanchez threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns this week.
The most important statistic of them all? He hasn't thrown an interception all season. That's six touchdowns and zero interceptions over the past two weeks. If he can keep on doing that, then the Jets will become a scary offense.
Sanchez is only getting better, and has started to feel comfortable throwing the ball to multiple receivers all over the field.
By throwing the ball rather than giving little handoffs, he's allowing the Jets to become more dynamic, and the defense doesn't have to be perfect every week, which it wasn't on Sunday night.
Once again, Dustin Keller was his main target, going for six catches and 98 yards with two touchdowns.
Keller wasn't a huge part of the offense last season, but is now becoming a major force at the tight end position.
He has great hands, catching the first touchdown near the sideline, but having control and keeping two feet in bounds.
Braylon Edwards was benched for the entire first quarter, but came back strong, breaking off a 67-yard reception and inducing a huge pass interference in the end zone in the fourth quarter to kill the game clock.
All around, Sanchez and his receivers had a huge game, for a second straight week.
Brad Smith Becoming Valuable Part Of Jets Offense
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Not only is Mark Sanchez getting better by the week, but Brad Smith is becoming a big part of the offense.
Using both the Wildcat formation, and rushing the ball, Smith creates another headache for opposing defenses.
In the fourth quarter, Smith rushed the ball 16 yards to midfield, helping the Jets eventually extend their lead to eight points and win the game. He helps the Jets gain some yardage when it's really needed and gives Mark Sanchez a break at times.
Most of the time when the Jets are going with the Wildcat formation, they keep one running back in the backfield, and fake the handoff.
That opens up the middle and allows Smith to move forward to successfully complete the play.
It's a part of the playbook the Jets should stick to, as it gives them a whole other dimension to their offense.
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Jets Continue to Get Burned by Third Downs and Penalties
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Although the Jets got a great win against another team in their division, there are some things to be concerned about. Those two things are stopping opponents' third downs and committing a plethora of penalties.
The Jets allowed another seven third-down conversions against the Dolphins and committed nine penalties for 81 yards.
The majority of the penalties were holding calls on the Jets and especially on long conversions.
The biggest one that stood out was a holding call on Matt Slauson in the fourth quarter that denied Mark Sanchez from a five-yard rushing touchdown.
During one drive, the Jets had six holding penalties called. It's something that can't continue if the Jets want to put together good drives.
Concerning the third down defense, it's been awful in two of the first three games.
After a terrible performance against the Ravens in Week 1, the defense couldn't help themselves, giving up two plays of third-and-10 or more on Sunday night. It's the one part of the defense that must improve moving forward.
Older Veterans Looking Pretty Good For Jets In First Season
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Two guys were supposedly washed up and too old to play when the Jets signed them in the offseason. They were LaDainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor. So far through the first three games, they've both looked just fine.
Tomlinson had another solid game on Sunday night, carrying the ball 15 times for 70 yards, while continuing to look very spry. He's running with authority and making big plays for the Jets, putting most talk to rest about not having Thomas Jones anymore.
He even caught three passes for 18 yards and scored the touchdown that put the game to bed.
Jason Taylor is also having a good season so far for the Jets. Playing with a lot of motivation, facing his former team in the Dolphins, Taylor recorded a sack on Chad Henne and hit him another time, as he proves he can still get through offensive lines.
With both Tomlinson and Taylor proving they're still going strong, the Jets have a lot of reasons to believe their new acquisitions will pay off.
With Marshall Beating Cromartie, Jets Secondary Needs Revis
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Coming into this game, the top story was the Jets not having Darrelle Revis to cover Brandon Marshall. That meant a long day was ahead for Antonio Cromartie, who was eaten alive by Marshall back in the two players' AFC West days.
It turned out to be a long day indeed, as Marshall had a great game, going for 10 catches on 166 yards and a touchdown.
It just shows you how much the Jets really need Darrelle Revis to have a successful secondary. If he were covering Marshall, 166 yards wouldn't have been accumulated in all likelihood.
When Revis returns from his hamstring injury and pairs up with Cromartie, that'll be a dynamic duo, but right now, Cromartie can't do the job on his own. He has to thank Sanchez for scoring enough points to make Marshall's night moot.
Revis will probably miss next Sunday's game in Buffalo, but once again, did I say Buffalo? Revis isn't needed against that team.
Closing Opinion and What's Up Next For Jets
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This was a great win for the Jets, and sets them up well for the coming weeks. They already have tiebreakers in their favor concerning their place in the standings, and they get to face the lowly Buffalo Bills next Sunday.
If the Jets don't get upset in that game, they would be 3-0 in the division.
The Bills, who are 0-3, are having all sorts of trouble this season, having already made a switch at quarterback.
They did give Tom Brady and the Patriots a run for their money in Foxboro on Sunday, scoring 30 points with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, falling 38-30.
The Jets will hope to get more great play out of Sanchez, as they seem to get better as a team by the week.
AFC East Standings After Week 3
NY Jets 2-1
New England 2-1
Miami 2-1
Buffalo 0-3
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