Tag: Mark Sanchez (Page 19 of 28)

      NFL Week 3 Odds & Point Spreads

      September 22, 2009 /

      Along with the odds and over/under totals, here’s a look at some of the marquee matchups for Week 3 in the NFL.

      Falcons (2-0) at Patriots (1-1), Sunday, 1:00PM ET
      This will be a great test to see where both of these teams currently lie. The Falcons are 2-0 with wins over two struggling 2008 playoff teams, while the Patriots could very easily be 0-2 right now. Behind quarterback Matt Ryan’s (108.5 QB Rating) great start, Atlanta’s offense is gearing up for big things this season, but the defense is giving up 5.1 YPC and just lost starting DT Peria Jerry for the year. New England has its own defensive problems without middle linebacker Jerod Mayo and Tom Brady still hasn’t looked comfortable on his surgically repaired knee. It would be unwise to doubt Bill Belichick and the Patriots, but the Falcons would go a long way in proving that they’re a legitimate Super Bowl contender with a win at Foxboro.
      Odds: Patriots –4.

      49ers (2-0) at Vikings (2-0), Sunday, 1:00PMET
      Who would have thought that the only matchup this week featuring two 2-0 teams would be the 49ers at Vikings? San Francisco’s defense has been solid in the first two games, yielding less than 300 total yards per game and limiting opponents to only 13 PPG. But neither Arizona nor Seattle posed the rushing threat that Adrian Peterson and Minnesota will provide this Sunday. This will be a great test to see where Mike Singletary’s team is and whether or not the Niners are legitimate playoff contenders. Can Shaun Hill beat the Vikings through the air if/when the Williams Wall takes away Frank Gore?
      Odds: Vikings –7.

      Titans (0-2) at Jets (2-0), Sunday, 1:00PM ET
      Panic hasn’t set in yet for Jeff Fisher and the Titans, although a loss this week in East Rutherford would make things unsettling in Tennessee. Jets’ rookie Mark Sanchez has looked more like a five-year pro than a quarterback with only two career starts under his belt, but will this be the week that he finally suffers some growing pains? Tennessee’s defense has a way of making opposing quarterbacks look bad, although that certainly wasn’t the case last week when Houston’s Matt Schaub threw a career high four touchdown passes against the Titans. If Fisher’s squad falls to 0-3, the Titans may never recover. On the flip side, if the Jets start 3-0 they’ll set themselves up for making a run at the AFC East crown.
      Odds: Jets –2.5.

      (2-0) Colts at Cardinals (1-1), Sunday, 8:20PM ET
      If you like watching quick-tempo offenses, then the Sunday night game will be right up your alley. The Colts defeated the Dolphins on Monday might despite only running 35 plays, which means Peyton Manning and the rest of Indy’s offense is already in midseason form. The Cards bounced back from their opening week loss to the 49ers by pounding the Jaguars last Sunday thanks to Kurt Warner’s amazing 24-for-26 passing day. Watching Manning and Warner dissect the opposing defense is going to be one of the more intriguing things to watch in Week 3.
      Odds: Cardinals -2.5.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      Patriots have issues; Jets have new life under Ryan

      September 20, 2009 /

      Pundits warned after the Patriots barely beat the Bills on Monday night that it’s ignorant to come to conclusions after Week 1.

      Well, it’s only Week 2 and I’ve already come to this conclusion: Bill Belichick’s team has issues. They’re still 1-1 after their 16-9 loss to the Jets on Sunday, but New England is a Leodis McKelvin kneel-down away from being 0-2 right now.

      New England’s pass protection might be at the forefront of the Pats’ problems. The offensive line struggled to control the penetration that New York was able to generate throughout the game and the Pats were also unable to pick up a crucial 3rd and 1 at their own 38-yard line trailing 16-9. That’s a telltale sign that the horses up front for the Patriots aren’t getting the job done.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      Jets back up Ryan’s talk by smacking lifeless Texans 24-7

      September 13, 2009 /

      When the Jets hired former Ravens’ defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as their new head coach, they hoped that he would bring a swagger to the club similar to the one he had instilled in Baltimore throughout the years.

      When Ryan arrived in New York, he took pot shots at other head coaches in the division (New England’s Bill Belichick) and tangled with linebackers that his team would have to face twice a year (Miami’s Channing Crowder). So when it came time for the Jets to play their season opener against the Texans in Houston, Ryan’s bunch need to back up his offseason talk.

      The Jets did just that on Sunday, blasting the Texans 24-7 in an absolutely dominating performance. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was excellent in his professional debut, finding a wide open Chansi Stucky for a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which was Sanchez’s first career TD.

      The Jets’ defense was also outstanding, limiting Houston to only 183 total yards of offense and suffocating second-year running back Steve Slaton (he had just 17 yards on nine carries). If one didn’t know better, they would have thought that the Ravens’ players dressed in green and white for Sunday’s game.

      The Jets have a long way to go to become a serious contender, but this was an impressive debut for Sanchez and Ryan. Whether or not the Jets contend for the division or a playoff spot is irrelevant at this point, because they already backed up their head coach’s words.

      As for Houston, this was a pitiful performance for a team that thinks it’s a playoff contender. Their offense was stagnant, their defense played slow and on a whole, they put together a pretty flat performance. The Texans allowed 190 rushing yards on Sunday, which is inexcusable facing a rookie quarterback in his pro debut. Sanchez needed the Jets to establish the run and once they did, he took full advantage of it with a confident performance.

      There’s a long way to go, but this was about as bad of a start as Houston could have imagined. (And about the best the Jets could have hoped for.)

      NFL

      Jets name Mark Sanchez starting quarterback

      August 26, 2009 /

      Even following his rough outing in the Jets’ second preseason game on Monday night, head coach Rex Ryan named rookie Mark Sanchez the team’s starting quarterback.

      From FoxSports.com:

      Despite a rough start against the Ravens in his last preseason game, Sanchez never lost his cool and battled back. The team has been impressed with his command of the huddle and the offense. Sources say the team has been impressed with how much he has not looked like a rookie. Drafted out of USC, Sanchez has gone 6-of-12 in two preseason games, with one touchdown pass and one interception.

      Clemens, in his fourth season, is 9-of-14 for 84 yards in the preseason. He also has one score and one pick. Entering his fourth season with the Jets after being a second-round pick in 2006, Clemens also had a solid but unspectacular camp, but threw 12 interceptions compared to the rookie’s five.

      I’m sure Ryan would have wanted a better performance out of Sanchez on Monday night before he made his decision official, but it’s not like Clemens did anything this summer to merit the job, so why delay the announcement?

      The good news for Sanchez is that the Jets offensive line is solid. They also have a trio of backs in Leon Washington, Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene that are more than capable of taking some of the pressure off Sanchez in his first year.

      The bad news is that the Jets aren’t giving Sanchez a lot to work with in terms of receivers. Jerricho Cotchery is underrated and has been a consistent, productive receiver throughout his career. But he’s not a player that will keep defensive coordinators up at night and after him, the Jets will rely heavily on the inexperienced crop of Chansi Stuckey, David Clowney and Brad Smith.

      If Sanchez continues to show the poise he did on Monday night when things weren’t going his way, he should do fine. That’s not to say that he’ll have a Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco-type rookie year and lead the Jets to the playoffs, but success can’t always measured in whether or not a quarterback can get his team to the postseason. (Especially if said quarterback is a rookie.)

      Don’t go crazy on draft day and pick Sanchez in the middle rounds. He’s a rookie QB, and they’re notoriously undependable in fantasy circles, especially with all the depth available in leagues that only start one QB. It probably would have been better for the Jets WRs (especially Cotchery) if Clemens had won the job, as the two had shown a nice rapport in the past. Sanchez will no doubt have his ups and downs, so that means the Jets receivers are likely to as well.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Sanchez struggles in second preseason game

      August 25, 2009 /

      Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was just 3-of-8 for 43 yards, one touchdown and one interception (which was returned for a TD by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata) in the Jets’ 24-23 loss to the Ravens on Monday night. Kellen Clemens, Sanchez’s main competition for NY’s starting quarterback job, didn’t fair much better, completing just 5-of-10 passes for 60 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

      Sanchez almost threw a second pick in the game, but Ray Lewis showed off his stone hands on the play and dropped it. The rookie QB did bounce back after his poor start, hooking up with Leon Washington on a 19-yard touchdown pass before exciting the game after being hit in the head.

      Even with this bad outing, chances are that the Jets will still name Sanchez their starter because Clemens hasn’t done anything to prove he deserves the job more. Sanchez has reportedly showed a stronger arm and more accuracy all summer and thus, will probably win the gig at some point.

      This is just speculation, but if Sanchez starts and plays well Saturday night against the Giants, Rex Ryan will name him the starter shortly thereafter.

      NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑