AFC Divisional Round: Mark Sanchez, New York Jets Fly High

After all the personal shots, interviews and smack talk leading up to Sunday's game, it was Rex Ryan and his rag tag Jets who backed up their trash talk with a statement victory over the top seeded New England Patriots in Foxborough.

Between Rex Ryan's "personal" matchup against the "master" Bill Belichick, Antonio Cromartie's profanity laced tirade against Tom Brady and Wes Welker's personal blow against Rex Ryan, the game was sure to feature some big hits and even bigger plays.

After the Jets were humiliated on Monday Night Football by the Patriots 45-3 in Week 13, they knew they had to avenge the loss that took shot them down physically and emotionally.

And avenge is exactly what they did.

Mark Sanchez had been referred to as "immature" and "inexperienced" in the playoffs coming into Sunday's matchup. But after throwing for 194 yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots, Sanchez proved he has what it takes to win in the postseason.

Tom Brady, on the other hand, had already proved why he is one of the best in the business. Brady was 29-for-45 on Sunday with 299 yards and a couple of touchdowns and his first pick since Week 6!

Brady had thrown 340 consecutive passes before being intercepted by Jets linebacker David Harris in the first quarter.

Despite the great field position set up by the Harris interception, the Jets failed to score after Nick Folk pulled a 30-yard field goal attempt, giving the Patriots the momentum once again.

However, the momentum was shortlived.

The Jets swarmed Tom Brady all day creating immense pressure for the three-time Super Bowl champion. Brady was sacked five times by the tenacious Jets defense, who came into the postseason with 40 sacks on the season. Shaun Ellis harassed Tom Brady all game and brought him down twice in the first quarter.

After a Shayne Graham 34-yard field goal, the first quarter ended with the Patriots leading 3-0.

Mark Sanchez started the game a bit shaky, missing open receivers and stalling drives, but shortly after the second quarter began Sanchez settled in and found the rhythm which he adapted so well during his college days at USC.

Five minutes into the second quarter, Sanchez connected with LaDanian Tomlinson for a seven-yard touchdown.

The Jets continuously brought pressure to Tom Brady and the Patriots appeared to be getting desperate. After a botched fake punt by Patrick Chung, the Jets took over at the New England 37.

Sanchez capitalized on the opportunity and hit Braylon Edwards for a 15 yard touchdown to give the Jets a 14-3 halftime lead.

As the Patriots headed into the locker room at halftime, the voice of Rex Ryan seemed to echo throughout their heads. New England could not get anything going offensively and Tom Brady ended the first half 10-of-17 for 99 yards and a pick.

Patriots fans were not used to seeing this sort of mediocrity from their star quarterback.

As the third quarter carried on, the Jets continued to bring pressure and were able to stop Brady from establishing any sort of rhythm. Calvin Pace stripped Brady of the football with eight minutes left in the third quarter and the feeling of panic swept across the crisp confines of Gillette Stadium.

It wasn't until the end of the third quarter that the Patriots would finally score again. Tight end Alge Crumpler was the recipient of a three-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady. After a successful two-point conversion to pull within a field goal, the Patriots began to feel the momentum once again.

Despite the potential comeback from New England, Mark Sanchez was not phased at all. He started the fourth quarter out with a bang, connecting with Jerricho Cotchery for a 58-yard pickup.

Later in the drive, Santonio Holmes caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez, and the Jets were back up by 10.

This couldn't be happening! The top-seeded New England Patriots, a team that hadn't lost a game at home in three years, were trailing to their rivals by 10 points with only one quarter remaining.

As New England marched his team down the field, the feeling of a "Sunday Tiger Woods" Tom Brady was in the air. Brady did an excellent job controlling the tempo of the offense and hitting his open receivers.

The only problem was that his receivers were not returning the favor. Costly drops by Wes Welker and Deion Branch hurt the Patriots dearly, and they turned the ball back over to the Jets with five minutes left in the game.

After a quick stop, New England regained possession and settled for a 35-yard Shayne Graham field goal. The Jets recovered the ensuing onside kick, and running back Shonn Greene scampered to the right side for a 16-yard touchdown run.

With desperation mode in full effect, the Patriots scored quickly on a 12-yard strike from Brady to Deion Branch. The Patriots trailed 28-21 with 24 seconds left in the game.

After another failed onside kick attempt by New England, the New York Jets left Gillette Stadium victorious.

Whether it was Ryan versus Belichick, Cromartie versus Brady or New York versus Boston, the Jets and Patriots played a great game. 

Mark Sanchez proved once again that he is a future star in the NFL.

Tom Brady proved that anybody is vulnerable.

And after the game, Jets linebacker Bart Scott reminded us how intense the Jets and Patriots rivalry truly is.

“Rivalries start when both teams take something from the other team. This is probably the first time the Jets have taken something important away from the Patriots. Game on. They can hate us forever because the feeling is mutual,” Scott said.

In the end, it was another disappointing finish to an outstanding regular season for the New England Patriots.

For the New York Jets, a trip to Heinz Field and a rematch with the Pittsburgh Steelers awaits them—this time it's for the AFC Crown.

After the ending of the most hyped divisional matchup of the week, one thing is for certain: The Jets and Patriots rivalry is not fizzling out anytime soon.