- Final0OAK
ATL20
2320
23 - Final1CIN
CLE24
3424
34 - Final2STL
MIA14
1714
17 - Final3IND
NYJ9
359
35 - Final OTOT4DET
PHI26
2326
23 - Final5KC
TB10
3810
38 - Final6DAL
BAL29
3129
31 - Final OTOT7BUF
ARI19
1619
16 - Final8NE
SEA23
2423
24 - Final9NYG
SF26
326
3 - Final10MIN
WSH26
3826
38 - Final11GB
HOU42
2442
24 - Final12PIT
TEN23
2623
26 - Final13DEN
SD35
2435
24
Final
Coverage: CBS
1:00 PM ET, October 14, 2012
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
No matter how many outsiders call for Tim Tebow to take over as the New York Jets' starting quarterback, coach Rex Ryan is standing behind Mark Sanchez.
Andrew Luck showed last week why the Indianapolis Colts have plenty of confidence in him to guide the franchise's rebuilding.
Sanchez and the foundering Jets look to get on track Sunday when they host the Colts, who will eclipse their win total of last season with another victory.
Ryan made clear there will be no change at quarterback despite the embattled Sanchez struggling again in a 23-17 loss to Houston on Monday.
"Yeah, no question," Ryan said when asked if Sanchez will start Sunday.
Sanchez went 14 of 31 with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Texans, completing less than 50 percent of his passes for the fourth straight game.
His 48.4 completion percentage ranks last in the league, prompting more calls for Tebow to take over. The Jets (2-3) rank 30th in the NFL with 293.4 yards per game.
Ryan refused to discuss a potential quarterback change for Sunday's game, again maintaining Sanchez is the starter.
"I'm not going to get into the what-ifs and all that," Ryan said. "We're not preparing to lose, that's for sure. We're thinking we're going to win, starting this week."
The Colts (2-2) have no such uncertainty under center, as Luck continues to impress in his rookie season. The No. 1 overall pick set career bests with 31 completions, 55 attempts and 362 yards while throwing two touchdowns in a 30-27 victory over Green Bay on Sunday.
Luck led a 13-play, 85-yard drive that resulted in a 4-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 35 seconds remaining, completing a comeback from a 21-3 halftime deficit.
"That is what you're looking for in a quarterback. That grit. That will to win," interim coach Bruce Arians told the team's official website. "A rookie, I don't put statistically in the categories with (Tom) Brady and those guys. His passer rating is not going to be as high as theirs, but he's playing at a level that far exceeds where he should be at this time."
While Luck leads the youth movement for the rebuilding Colts, the veteran Wayne, who turns 35 next month, continues to prove he's far from finished. He caught 13 passes for a career-high 212 yards against the Packers, and his 506 yards rank third in the NFL.
"You realize those were a lot of big situations that he comes up in," Luck said. "It's not that hard to throw the ball in the vicinity of a receiver and he goes out and makes an amazing catch. He made everybody look good."
Wayne said his performance was inspired by the absence of coach Chuck Pagano, who missed the first of an indefinite amount of games while undergoing treatment for leukemia.
Pagano wrote a letter to the team prior to Sunday's contest demanding the players focus on football rather than him.
"Chuck's instilled a lot in us," Wayne said. "His whole motto since day one, the first meeting, has been team, team, team, team. Nothing else. So we've wanted to do it every week as a team. That's all we practice, that's all we preach."
Wayne has only one 100-yard game and hasn't caught a touchdown pass in seven career contests versus the Jets. Indianapolis may be wise to emphasize the running game against a New York defense that ranks second to last with 172.0 rushing yards allowed per game, though top back Donald Brown won't play after having surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee.
Rookie Vick Ballard will get the start in place of Brown, who apparently suffered the injury on his two-point conversation run following Wayne's touchdown Sunday.
In addition to their problems throwing the ball, the Jets haven't been able to get much going on the ground. Shonn Greene's TD run in New York's Week 1 victory over Buffalo is its only rushing score, and the Jets' 3.2 yards-per-carry average is tied for 31st in the league.
"We have to get the run game going," Ryan said. "If we can run the ball, it'll open up a lot of things in the passing game. We have to be more efficient running the football."
Wayne caught one pass for one yard while Sanchez went 18 of 31 for 189 yards and an interception in the Jets' 17-16 wild-card victory Jan. 8, 2011, the teams' most recent meeting.
The Colts will be without four-time Pro Bowl selection Robert Mathis for two to three weeks because of a left knee injury suffered last Sunday.
The Jets' offense is expected to get a big boost with tight end Dustin Keller, who has missed four games with a hamstring injury, and rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill, sidelined two games with an injured hamstring, likely to return Sunday.
More from ESPN.com
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Jets owner Woody Johnson said Thursday his team is "anxious" to complete a trade for Aaron Rodgers, but they are sticking to their plan.
Packers GM: Talks with Rodgers 'never transpired'
Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said Monday at the NFL's annual league meeting that he tried unsuccessfully to reach QB Aaron Rodgers "many times" since their final meeting in January shortly after last season ended without a playoff appearance.
Ballard, Colts will consider trading for QB Jackson
Colts general manager Chris Ballard on Monday confirmed Indianapolis' interest in Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson at the NFL's annual meeting in Phoenix, saying his club has to consider all options to fix the position after a 4-12-1 season.
Jets GM: No rush on Rodgers; Lamar not option
Jets GM Joe Douglas on Thursday discussed his trade talks with the Packers for Aaron Rodgers and also said he would not pivot to trying to acquire Lamar Jackson instead.
Scouting Report
Colts-Jets: What to watch
After watching film of both teams, Scouts Inc. breaks down key elements of the Week 6 Colts-Jets matchup.
• The Colts must establish an effective ground attack: Indianapolis has been average rushing the football early in the season but appeared to be more physical (119 yards versus Green Bay) in Week 5. The Jets have been marginal defending the run. This is clearly a weakness that can be exploited. Look for Colts offensive coordinator (and interim head coach) Bruce Arians to concentrate on controlling the tempo by pounding the rock, but it won't be easy with Donald Brown (knee injury) out of the lineup.
Recent Blog Posts
Matchup
IND | NYJ | |
---|---|---|
W-L | 2-3 | 3-3 |
Avg Points | 20.0 | 22.2 |
Avg Points Allowed | 29.0 | 23.5 |
Home Record | 2-1 | 2-2 |
Road Record | 0-2 | 1-1 |
Division Record | 0-1 | 2-0 |
Conference Record | 0-2 | 3-2 |
Complete Standings |
Passing Leaders
Indianapolis | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
---|---|---|---|---|
M. Ryan | 67.0 | 3057 | 14 | 13 |
S. Ehlinger | 63.4 | 573 | 3 | 3 |
NY Jets | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
Z. Wilson | 54.5 | 1688 | 6 | 7 |
M. White | 58.9 | 1192 | 3 | 4 |
Rushing Leaders
Receiving Leaders
Indianapolis | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M. Pittman Jr. | 99 | 925 | 9.3 | 4 | |
P. Campbell | 63 | 623 | 9.9 | 3 | |
NY Jets | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
G. Wilson | 83 | 1103 | 13.3 | 4 | |
T. Conklin | 58 | 552 | 9.5 | 3 |
Team Averages & NFL Ranks
TEAM OFFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
---|---|---|
Total Yards | IND | |
NYJ | ||
Yards Passing | IND | |
NYJ | ||
Yards Rushing | IND | |
NYJ | ||
TEAM DEFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
Yards Allowed | IND | |
NYJ | ||
Pass Yds Allowed | IND | |
NYJ | ||
Rush Yds Allowed | IND | |
NYJ |
Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)
NY Jets leads 5-4 | |
---|---|
Jan 8, 2011 | IND 16, NYJ 17 |
Jan 24, 2010 | IND 30, NYJ 17 |
Dec 27, 2009 | IND 15, NYJ 29 |
Oct 1, 2006 | IND 31, @NYJ 28 |
Nov 16, 2003 | IND 38, NYJ 31 |
Jan 4, 2003 | IND 0, @NYJ 41 |
Dec 23, 2001 | IND 28, NYJ 29 |
Sep 9, 2001 | IND 45, @NYJ 24 |
Research Notes
Reggie Wayne has a league-leading 19 receptions throws more than 10 yards downfield this season, two more than he has from 10 yards and in. In his last two seasons with Manning, 68.7 percent of Wayne's receptions were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Jets quarterbacks have combined for a 25.9 Total QBR this season, second-worst in the NFL. When compared to what the defense has allowed, the Jets have a minus-40.0 difference in Total QBR, better than only the Browns. [+]Worst Total QBR Differential - This Season
Close [X] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Andrew Luck has scrambled for a league-high nine first downs this season, including seven on third down. No other quarterback has more than three firsts on third down scrambles. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tim Tebow has played a total of 39 offensive snaps this season. The most consecutive snaps Tebow has played in a game is three in Week 2, his only three offensive snaps in the game. Tebow has played back-to-back snaps four other times this season (twice in Week 3 and Week 5). | ||||||||||||||||||||
ESPN Stats & Information |