BALTIMORE — Vying to become the Jets starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez got off to a wretched start Monday night but finished with a flourish in a 24-23 preseason loss to the Ravens.
Starting for the first time, Sanchez handed off the ball on the game’s opening play from scrimmage. Then he forced a pass while being hit in the stomach by linebacker Ray Lewis. The ball was intercepted by Haloti Ngata, who rumbled 25 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 with 52 seconds elapsed.
“Not obviously the way you want to start. I thought I was doing the right thing; I felt Ray come free on the right side from the protection,” Sanchez said. “I was checking it down to the flat, perfect. Haloti just jumped right in front of the ball and made a really athletic play.”
Sanchez nearly had his second pass picked off too. On his final play, however, the first-round draft pick threw his first NFL touchdown pass — a 19-yarder to running back Leon Washington with 5:50 left in the second quarter.
Drafted fifth overall out of Southern California, Sanchez went 3-for-8 for 43 yards. He didn’t experience success until the Ravens removed several players from the first-team defense, including Lewis and safety Ed Reed.
Jets first-year head coach Rex Ryan spent the previous 10 years building the Baltimore defense, but there was no way he could fully explain to Sanchez the experience of going up against the wickedly effective unit.
Long after Sanchez departed, third-stringer Erik Ainge scored on a sneak with 22 seconds left to get the Jets to 24-23. Ryan called for a two-point conversion that failed.
