Jets vs. Redskins: 5 Things We Learned from New York's 34-19 Win

The New York Jets played sloppy football for three-and-a-half quarters before pulling away late and defeating the Washington Redskins 34-19 on Sunday.

This was the second straight week the Jets staged a fourth-quarter comeback. In both games, Santonio Holmes caught the go-ahead touchdown pass. Against the Redskins, Mark Sanchez hit Holmes for a 30-yard touchdown on a beautiful slant-and-go pattern. 

The win, coupled with the Cincinnati Bengals loss, pulled the Jets to a four-way tie for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. 

The Jets (7-5) return home to take on the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday. 

Before looking ahead to next week, let's take a deeper look at this week's contest. 

The Coaching Staff Doesn't Trust Mark Sanchez

With Mark Sanchez in his third year as a pro, the Jets were expected to let go of the reigns holding him back. 

Twelve games into the season, and the passing offense looks like it did back in 2009 when he was a rookie. 

The play-calling is ultra conservative, and the reason has to be that they don't trust Sanchez. Their down field passing game is non-existent, and they run the same pass patterns over and over. 

Not surprisingly, their biggest play of the day, the touchdown to Holmes, came when they threw it downfield.

Let's hope we see more of that going forward. 

The Jets Can't Stop Tight Ends

Guarding the tight end has been an ongoing problem for the New York Jets, and it continued on Sunday. 

Fred Davis torched the Jets for six catches and 99 yards, including a 42-yard reception. 

The tight end is becoming more and more important in today's NFL. The Jets need to find an answer to stop opposing tight ends, sooner rather than later. 

Aaron Maybin Is the Best Pass-Rusher on the Team

Aaron Maybin is the best pass-rusher on the New York Jets, and it's not even close. 

Maybin continued his breakout season strip sacking Rex Grossman late in the fourth quarter, effectively sealing the game for the Jets. 

Maybin now has six sacks in only nine games played and could make a serious run at double-digit sacks. 

The Offensive Line Can Be Great

The New York Jets offensive line is considered one of the league's best, though you wouldn't say from watching them play this season. 

However, on Sunday, the offensive line came through with one of, if not, the best performance of the season. 

They didn't allow a single sack to the vaunted Washington Redskins pass rush. In particular, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Wayne Hunter came through with big games against the duo of Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan. 

That's now two games in a row Sanchez hasn't been sacked; let's hope the streak continues. 

Special Teams Mistakes Continue

The New York Jets have always had standout special teams play under the guidance of special teams coach Mike Westhoff. 

However, their return men have had trouble hanging onto the ball recently. Jeremy Kerley muffed a punt against the Redskins—their fourth such fumble in four games and fifth this season. 

The issue has forced the Jets to put the sure handed Jim Leonhard back to return punts. 

Nick Folk also missed a field goal for the fourth time in the last five games.