From bleacherreport.com, by Sam Westmoreland
Mark Sanchez, the New York Jets second-year quarterback, has had one of the wildest rides of any playoff quarterback in recent memory. He looked, at various points of the season, like he was going to be a star in the NFL, but also looked like he couldn’t hack it at other points.
As we saw last week against New England, Sanchez can be an elite passer when the mood strikes him. He was incredibly efficient against the Pats, throwing a trio of touchdown passes despite racking up just 196 passing yards on the night.
Now, the young passer gets a Steelers defense that takes great pleasure in rattling young quarterbacks, and forcing them to make bad decisions with the football.
While the Jets’ offense revolves around the run, it is Sanchez who will play a crucial role in the AFC Title game. He will need to mimic his divisional round play if the Jets hope to advance against a Steelers defense capable of shutting down the run.
Can he do it? It’s hard to say, but if he can, you can bet the Jets will be punching their tickets to Dallas.