Here’s what Will wrote about Sal Alosi on Monday morning, the day after the Jets lost 10–6 to Miami: “It’s all people are talking about this morning, which is probably good, considering they’re not talking about Mark Sanchez and the Jets’ offense.” In fact, thanks to Alosi, much of the conversation this week revolved around gunners and sideline walls and indefinite suspensions. This would be a good time, however, to talk about Mark Sanchez and the Jets’ offense.
To recap: The last Jets’ offensive touchdown came on Thanksgiving night against the Bengals. In their nine wins, the Jets have averaged 28.3 points. But in their four losses? They’ve averaged 4.5 points and have scored zero touchdowns. It is difficult to win a football game if you don’t score any touchdowns. The Jets might want to consider printing that sentence onto a banner and hanging it in their locker room.
And truth be told, there are plenty of teams Mark Sanchez would rather face in the week after his coach admitted he’d bench him if necessary. The Steelers sit atop the AFC North at 10–3, behind only the Patriots in the conference. They allow the fourth fewest yards per game — just half a yard more than the Jets defense — and are tied with the Giants for second in the league in sacks.
The Jets season isn’t lost, not yet, as badly as they’ve played the last two weeks. But Sanchez needs to be better, particularly if the Steelers can take away the running game, as they often do. His offensive line needs to give him more protection. His receivers can’t drop passes like the one Santonio Holmes dropped on Sunday. Everything needs to snap back into place, and quickly. Brian Schottenheimer says that he knows he’s “a damn good football coach.” To turn this thing around, on the road at Pittsburgh, he’d better be — and his players better perform.