Mark Sanchez makes strides for second week in a row

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 19: Mark Sanchez  of the New York Jets huddles with his team before a game against the New England Patriots at the New Meadowlands Stadium on September 19, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Sometimes Mark Sanchez does things that make you want to claw your face off with a cheese grader. He’ll lock onto one receiver, he’ll telegraph a pass to a defender, or sometimes he’ll just lob a pass to Kendall Langford, who was so stunned by the throw that all he could do was drop it.

But the Mark Sanchez that has lined up under center for the Jets the last two weeks makes you realize what the front office saw in him when they took him with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Outside of the brain-fart to Langford late in the fourth quarter, Sanchez was outstanding last night. He completed 15 of his 28 pass attempts for 256 yards and three touchdowns in the Jets’ 31-23 win over the Dolphins and more importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over for the third consecutive week. He only completed 54% of his passes, but his average yard-per-completion was 9.1 and he actually threw the ball vertically, which was something that had been absent from his game in a Week 1 loss to the Ravens.

Sanchez also seems to be developing a great relationship with tight end Dustin Keller, who caught six passes last night for 98 yards and two touchdowns. The tight end can often be a quarterback’s best friend and considering Keller is more of a receiver in a tight end’s body, it helps that Sanchez can use him to work the seams of a defense.

This is the second week in a row that Sanchez has been impressive and to do it against a solid Miami defense last night will go a long way for his confidence. Things could always start unraveling again, but for now Sanchez is finally starting to come into his own.

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