NFL Playoffs: Is New York Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez Overrated or Underrated?

Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets are preparing to play Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in the AFC divisional playoff round at Gilette Stadium in Foxboro, MA.

The rivalry between these two AFC East rivals has been getting more heated this week, and the Jets players are letting their feelings about the Patriots known to the media in nearly every interview.

One player not saying a whole lot in the press is Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who will carry a tremendous amount of responsibility on Sunday. The game may tell us how good he really has become.

Last season, Sanchez threw many more interceptions than touchdown passes and the offense was carried by the running game—rookie running back Shonn Greene in particular.

The defense was also a major reason for the Jets success last year. The defense was scoring points, shutting down running games and making the best NFL wide receivers look average.

But the running game has been mediocre throughout most of the year and the defense has been no where near as dominant as it was in 2009.

The additions of cornerback Antonio Cromartie and rookie corner Kyle Wilson were supposed to be great additions to an already loaded secondary. Wilson, however, has struggled and Cromartie has been inconsistent.

With Greene looking to duplicate his strong 2009 season and Ladainian Tomlinson joining the Jets via free agency, the team looked like they would again be among the league leaders in rushing.

But after a good start to the year, Tomlinson was average the rest of the way while Greene was hardly as good as he was during his rookie season.

Mark Sanchez, plain and simple, is the reason the Jets are in the playoffs and remain there, especially after beating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on the road last week.

Sanchez won many games this season in the final minutes of regulation or in overtime, saving the Jets from missing the playoffs entirely.

He has protected the ball better this season, committing fewer turnovers and integrating new offensive players into the system well, such as wide receiver Santonio Holmes.

Last week vs. the Colts, Sanchez was inaccurate during most of the game. But, on the final drive of the fourth quarter, he led the Jets into Colts territory so kicker Nick Folk could kick the game winning field goal.

While Sanchez is inconsistent throughout many games, he is very clutch at the end of close games. I cannot give you an exact reason why, but one reason for his elevated play in crunch time could be the confidence he has in his receivers.

With proven veterans like Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery and young tight end Dustin Keller, Sanchez has no shortage of quality players around him in pressure situations.

If one guy isn't open, there are plenty of other options to survey downfield.

Some of Sanchez's criticism has been unfair at times. His receivers constantly drop his passes, sometimes one put right between the numbers. Braylon Edwards has always been known as a league leader in drops and Sanchez can only put the ball where his guy can make a play.

Mark Sanchez is not the most accurate quarterback and he doesn't have the strongest arm. He is young and makes the normal mistakes accompanied by a lack of experience.

He is not Tom Brady either.

It would be wrong to overrate him based not only on his personal performance this season, but the lack of quality play from his running game and defense compared to last season.

Mark Sanchez is a solid young player and will get better. He has not even completed two seasons as a professional and is already 3-1 in the postseason.