New York Jets: Mark Sanchez and 3 Reasons Gang Green Won't Win Super Bowl

Anyone who tuned in to Sunday Night Football could tell you that the New York Jets have problems—big problems, and lots of them.

Not Rex Ryan's fupa or his foot fetish or the team hootin' and hollerin' at Ines Sainz or even "Broadway" Joe Namath trying to pucker up with Suzy Kolber.

No, Gang Green's gaffes are all on-field problems, the sort that need to be dealt with right away, before the team's Super Bowl hopes get washed down the drain.

Mark Sanchez and the Disappearing Offensive Line

It's tough to say exactly how much of Mark Sanchez's ineptitude is his own doing and how much should be pinned on the shoulders of the Jets' offensive line. In four games, Sanchez has been hit 26 times, 11 of which have resulted in sacks, and hurried and harassed on countless more occasions.

Sanchez came into Sunday's game with career-best metrics, completing 62.5 percent of his passes, averaging 7.91 yards per attempt, posting a QB rating of 90.1 and fumbling just once.

Then Sanchez came face-to-face with the Ravens, which came into Week 4 with nine sacks, 18 QB hits and the second-best turnover differential in the NFL.

This became even more daunting once Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold was ruled out with a high right ankle sprain.

Predictably, Sanchez fell prey to his old ways, as well as to Baltimore's hungry pass rush. In all, Sanchez finished the game 11-of-35 with 119 yards passing, four turnovers (three fumbles, one interception) and a sparkling QB rating of...errr, 30.5.

Yikes!

He should enjoy more breathing room against the Patriots' absentee pass rush in Week 5, but, on the whole, could still use a wee bit better protection if he's going to make his third year as charming as Fireman Ed would hope.

A Nonexistent Running Game

Perhaps Sanchez would find life on the football field a bit more agreeable if he had a more reliable running game to lean on.

The Jets were 25th in the NFL in rushing yards and 22nd in yards per attempt through the first three weeks, with lead runner Shonn Greene managing just 134 yards on 41 carries.

Things only got worse in Baltimore, where New York found just enough running room to pick up 38 yards on 19 carries, with Greene accounting for 23 of those yards on 10 of those attempts.

With the running game ineffectual and the Ravens jumping out to a commanding 27-7 advantage, Sanchez was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Or, as the Ravens prefer to call it, Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson.

The Jets need Sanchez to stay upright to survive, much less thrive. The best way to ensure his safety and the team's success is to not only play the sort of smash-mouth football that Rex Ryan prefers, but actually do well with it. 

Porous Rush Defense

On the other end, the Jets have hardly been an exemplary bunch, particularly when it comes to stopping the run. New York had allowed the second-most rushing yards and the most rushing touchdowns of any team in the NFL up until Week 4.

Gang Green's struggles showed against the Ravens, who racked up 112 yards and the game's only offensive touchdown on the ground. New York's inability to stop the ground game allowed Baltimore to possess the ball for a whopping 37:28, thereby rendering a Jets comeback a near impossibility.

Why such difficulty for a defense that ranked third against the run last season and eighth the season before that?

In a word, personnel. The Jets came into the 2011 season without run-stuffing defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who opted for retirement; linebacker Jason Taylor, who returned to Miami; and safety James Ihedigbo and defensive end Shaun Ellis, who took their talents to New England.

Ellis' departure has proved particularly perilous, as rookie Muhammad Wilkerson has been slow to adapt to the NFL thus far.

Of course, those players previously mentioned are long gone, so the Jets better figure out how to make life with their current stock of defenders more palatable.

Otherwise, Rex Ryan and company will extend their own NFL record for most preseason Super Bowl guarantees without actually delivering a Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Big Apple.

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