After Further Consideration...Sanchez to Start Against Bills Sunday

The Jets have nothing to play for this Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bills, something that we are now able to say not thanks to the Jets themselves, but thanks to the Washington Redskins. Because the Redskins beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in overtime last Sunday, the Jets clinched a playoff berth in consecutive seasons for only the fifth time in franchise history.

You would think that because the Jets clinched they would take this time to rest some players with some dings and injuries, and, for the most part, you would be correct in thinking that; however, one player that will be playing is quarterback Mark Sanchez. Head coach Rex Ryan said Sanchez practiced well on Thursday, and that cemented Ryan's decision to start him.

Yes, he has that slight tear in his throwing shoulder, but he has actually played better with it and the Jets don't want to ruin Sanchez's rhythm. Sanchez has played very well the last two games against the Steelers and Bears defenses with a quarterback rating of 82.8, completing 65.2% of his passes for 439 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Coach Rex Ryan doesn't want to ruin that rhythm or the routine that Sanchez has established. "More than anything it's just that routine he's established," Ryan said. "He's got a good thing going right now and he's comfortable and I just want to keep that going. And the other thing [is] we could be playing a Saturday game and if we are all of a sudden, you haven't done anything, and all of a sudden you're on a short week."

Sanchez won't play the entire game, though, and how long he will play has yet to be determined. "He looked good, had some on the ball and all that stuff, so we'll go ahead and start Mark this game," Ryan said. "How long he plays, we'll just determine that as the game goes. But he will start for us."

Fullback Tony Richardson said that the blockers would do their best to protect Sanchez's shoulder leading up to the postseason.

"Our mindset with anything is make sure he's well protected and not taking any hits and make plays for him," Richardson said. "And as long as he's in there we're going to go out there and protect him, and try to do things to help our offense move the ball down the field."

It's clear what Coach Ryan's gut is telling him, though -- see his immediate reaction after the game -- but the league frowns upon teams taking a "preseason" approach to late-season games when nothing is on the line. This is an unusual position for the Jets, as this is the first time since 1998 that they clinched a playoff spot before the final game.

Ryan sent mixed signals. He expressed the importance of winning and not easing up, but in his next sentence, he also predicted substantial playing time for the younger players. That group includes running back Joe McKnight, defensive end Vernon Gholston, cornerback Kyle Wilson, fullback John Conner and defensive tackle Marcus Dixon.

But the decision has been made and Sanchez will start against the Bills. This is a good decision because Sanchez has been god awful when faced with a long layoff between games. Three of his worst outings came after 11-, 14- and 11-day layoffs. Against the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, respectively, he completed only 47 percent of his passes and threw five interceptions with no touchdowns.

Ryan acknowledged he's aware of that trend, claiming, "It's an interesting thing and ... I've been reminded of it a bunch."

Sanchez was at his best in "the tournament," as Bill Parcells used to call it, last season and has to be even better if the Jets are to go all the way as they always proclaim they will. Sanchez gives the Jets the best chance to win this game on Sunday, but the real focus is on next weekend when the road to the Super Bowl begins. Whether the Jets play the Chiefs or Colts/Jaguars in that round one match up will be determined this Sunday.