Jets 24 Titans 17: The Cult of Sanchez Reaches Critical Mass

The Jets and the Titans threw on cash-grab throwback jerseys from the old school this Sunday, and before the first commercial break it looked like the latter were going to be taking a beating straight out of the Old Testament. Rookie sensation Mark Sanchez did his best John Elway impression and ran one in headfirst, and special teams set him up a convincing touchdown pass thirty seconds later. Sanchez then spent the next thirty minutes of play pondering his inevitable GQ cover shoot and let the Titans slither back into the game. The Titans may have made it close, but they spent most of the game looking like Joaquin Phoenix on a talk show. Tennessee special teams looked more like the special olympics and even though Kerry Collins had a few unbelievable throws, you can't blow the last thirteen passes of a game and collect your paycheck with a straight face. The only part of Tennessee's game that was consistently good was Jeff Fisher's mustache, and the mouth underneath was calling bonehead plays to beat the band, the most glaring of which saw his team inexplicably going for a fourth and seven with lots of time left in the second quarter.

In the third quarter Mr. Sanchez landed back on earth and turned a defensive recovery into a third touchdown and put in a solid finish. The Jets have yet to play an amazing four quarters in a row, but to come out of the gate 3-o with room for improvement is an enviable position indeed. The Titans are looking exactly like an 0-3 team determined to be less than the sum of their parts, but their matchup with the equally underwhelming Jaguars is as good a chance as any to step back into the light.

The Jets in contrast are spending the week preparing for the Saints, who appear to actually be under divine protection. Their chances of going 4-0 under those circumstances are about as good as Rex Ryan not having a heart attack in the next five years.