Jets vs. Patriots: Mark Sanchez's Jekyll-and-Hyde Play Could Doom New York

If it seems like Mark Sanchez either plays really well or really terribly against the New England Patriots, that's probably because it's true. In fact, Sanchez has posted two of his five career-highs in passer rating against New England, but has also posted two of his five career-lows against them.

Good Mark-Bad Mark

Rex Grossman has done everything in his power with the Redskins to overcome the "good Rex-bad Rex" rep of his days with the Bears, but Mark Sanchez has done little if anything in 2011 to overcome the "good Mark-bad Mark" rep he built for himself in his first two seasons.

With 13 games below a passer rating of 70 and nine games above 90, well over half of his career regular season games have either been incredible or incredibly terrible.

The Jets' success rides heavily on Sanchez's level of play in any given game. The Jets have gone 7-2 in games where he has above a 90 passer rating, and 4-9 in games where he is below 70.

In games where he is just mediocre (between 70 and 90 passer rating), the Jets are 10-2. Clearly, the Jets don't need Sanchez to be spectacular to win ball games.

Why, then, have they asked him to be?

This year more than any other in the Rex Ryan-Mark Sanchez era, the Jets are relying on the pass heavily. Through the first four games in 2009, the Jets attempted 118 pass plays (eight sacks) and 131 rushes. In 2010, the balance was 110 pass plays (five sacks) and 131 rushes.

In 2011? 158 passes (11 sacks) against just 92 rushes.

It all comes back to the running game. Take away Sanchez's worst game, an 8.3 passer rating against the Bills in 2009 where the Jets offense ran for 318 yards on 40 carries, and the Jets average just 3.9 yards per carry in games where Sanchez's passer rating is below 70. When he's above 90, it's drastically different, at 4.7 yards per carry.

Blame it on the offensive line and their injuries, but the poor play up front has manifested in a lot of pressure for Sanchez and poor performance on the ground. 

As a play-action quarterback through and through, it's clear that Sanchez's successes and struggles can be traced back to the running game.

Under pressure

Tom Brady may be an average quarterback under pressure, but Sanchez is downright awful. His passer rating under pressure since his rookie year breaks down as such: 35.5 in '09, 51.9 in '10, 37.4 in '11.

For the sake of comparison, his numbers when not under pressure are average or above average: 76.0 in '09, 86.5 in '10, 87.1 in '11. 

Most recently, Sanchez went 0-for-8 against heavy pressure on Sunday against the Ravens.

The Patriots defense is about the furthest thing from the Ravens defense that you'll see—they don't blitz much, if at all—but the Jets' offensive line is far from what it's been over the past few years, especially with Nick Mangold out (though he's expected to return).

That being said, New England should be able to get some pressure on Sanchez. If not, its best bet remains to stop the running game. All that is easier said than done, though.

Patriots defensive inconsistencies

Sanchez steps into a lion's den in Foxboro that's more like an animal shelter, with helpless critters crawling around looking for any sign of hope. The Patriots have been about as intimidating as a kitten, yielding the most yardage of any defense in the NFL through four games.

Those yards have come through the air and on the ground, yielding 8.5 yards per pass attempt (32nd in the league) and 4.8 yards per carry on the ground (25th).

It could get uglier than that with Jerod Mayo out for this week's matchup. Either Dane Fletcher or Gary Guyton will have to step up. Fletcher's ability to hold strong at the point of attack would play in his benefit.

The Patriots could also move Spikes back to the middle. According to Pro Football Focus, 58 of Spikes' 110 snaps have been as a run defender, and 48 in pass coverage. Fletcher, on the other hand, has played much more in pass coverage, with 67 snaps in pass coverage and just 18 in run defense.

It's clear, though, that making sure the Jets don't get their running game going is priority No. 1. Spikes will likely be the No. 1 option at middle linebacker on obvious running downs, even though Fletcher will likely wear the green dot. Fletcher could still get the occasional nod in the middle depending on the situation.

Either way, taking away Sanchez's ability to use play-action is step No. 1 in shutting down the Jets offense. Taking away his best weapon forces him to beat the Patriots defense by playing error-free.

Of course, this could mean another game where an opposing quarterback has all day in the pocket, but if it results in a win, the stats truly will be for the losers.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.