Mark Sanchez is not working out as the Jets quarterback.
The final score didn’t tell the full story of the Jets’ 34-0 loss to San Francisco Sunday afternoon. It felt much worse than the numbers on the scoreboard.
Sanchez was just 13-for-29 for 103 yards with an interception, and was booed relentlessly after every possession in the second half.
“This is not the way we imagined this game going. We left too many opportunities out there on the field and San Francisco took advantage of them. It wasn’t our best, so that’s the unfortunate thing,” Sanchez said. “We just have to get better. We’re 2-2; it’s not the end of the world. We have a lot of football left. The guys in that locker room, myself included, have to improve.”
By the fourth quarter, the crowd at MetLife Stadium — what was left of it — was chanting for backup quarterback Tim Tebow. Whether in mocking jest or seriousness, there is a clear lack of support for the current Jets starter. When asked if he had any concern over his job security after the loss, Sanchez said, “No, not at all. I’ve got to improve.”
“I don’t think the confidence is shaken, just a little frustrated, upset, in our execution today. The effort is there; the guys always work hard,” Sanchez said. “We didn’t execute well. It starts with the quarterback. I didn’t play well enough to win.”
No play typified Sanchez’s afternoon more than late in the second quarter, with 3rd-and-7 on the 49ers 25-yard line and the Jets trailing just 7-0, the pocket broke down and Sanchez took off to scramble. Rather than tucking and sliding, Sanchez tried to extend the play and was stripped of the ball.
The 49ers recovered and went 56 yards on six plays to set up a David Akers 36-yard field goal. It gave the visitors a 10-0 lead at halftime.
“A huge mistake on my part. I know we’re in field goal range. I was a little cloudy with my read and guys weren’t open. [I] took off and tried to make it an even easier field goal,” Sanchez said. “I let go of the football and that can’t happen. It should be 7-3 at halftime.”
But Ryan and the Jets, who gave Sanchez a five-year contract extension in March, are forced to go with their former first-round pick for the time being.
“I’m not ready to make a quarterback change,” Ryan said.
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
