The New York Jets' winning formula Sunday against the St. Louis Rams Sunday was throwback 2009: stout defensive play, a steady rushing attack and mistake-free quarterbacking from Mark Sanchez.
Running back Bilal Powell rushed for two scores, and Sanchez connected on 15 of 20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown in the Jets' 27-13 victory. And get this -- Sanchez didn't turn the ball over.
“An emphasis coming into the game is taking care of the football and being in control of those situations down in the red zone," Sanchez said after the game, via NewYorkJets.com. "Some plays that have got us earlier in the season, we just wanted to be real smart in those situations, make the right reads and the right throws."
The Jets, who improved to 4-6 with the win, tried to get Tim Tebow involved early on, but all it did was throw the offense off rhythm.
On the drive before Sanchez's touchdown pass, which was a 25-yard strike to Chaz Schilens, the Jets inserted Tebow on second down after a couple good run gains by the Jets' backfield. But Tebow lost a yard on that appearance, and Sanchez was stuck in a no-win third-and-long scenario.
On the next possession, the Jets opted to throw downfield on second down, and it resulted in a go-ahead touchdown... a much better result than the standard negative-3 to 3-yard gain Tebow would come up with. New York held the lead throughout.
Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis told the Associated Press after the game that St. Louis expected the Jets' "best shot" because of all the extra-curricular activity going on in the New York media regarding Gang Green.
"Teams in the NFL just don't fold," he said.
The Jets host the New England Patriots Thursday night for a Thanksgiving meeting.
