Sunday, February 13, 2011

Updated Mark Sanchez Career Playoff Numbers

Mark Sanchez


2009: 2-1 record, lost in AFC Championship Game; 4 TD, 2 INT; 60.3% completions; 180 ypg; 7.9 ypa; 92.7 QB rating


2010: 2-1 record, lost in AFC Championship Game; 5 TD, 1 INT; 60.7% completions; 205 ypg; 6.9 ypa; 95.5 QB rating


Total: 6 games, 4-2 record; 9 TD, 3 INT; 60.5% completions; 192.5 ypg; 7.4 ypa; 94.3 QB rating




As for some of the "negative" statistics, in those six games he has been sacked only four times.  He has also lost one fumble.  That being said, perhaps the most amazing statistic is his incredibly low rate of interceptions, with only 1.9% of his attempts going for picks.  Let's see how that, as well as the rest of Mark's numbers, stack up with some of the all-time bests in the playoffs.

Thanks to 18to88.com, here are the 21 highest rated quarterbacks in NFL Playoff History (min: 6 games played or 150 attempts):

Rank                                Rating  Wins  Losses   Comp     Att      TD    INT    Yards    YPA
1   Aaron Rodgers         112.6      4            1            118      174     13      3      1517      8.7
2   Bart Starr                    104.8      9            1           130      213     15       3      1753      8.2
3   Kurt Warner               102.3      9            4            307     462      31     14     3952      8.6
4   Drew Brees               102.0      4            3            189     285      15      2      2052      7.2
5   Joe Montana               95.6     16           7            460      734     45     21     5772      7.9
6   Mark Sanchez             94.3      4            2              95      157       9       3      1155      7.4
7   Ken Anderson            93.5       2            4           110      166       9       6      1321      8.0
8   Joe Theismann         91.4       6            2            128      211     11      7      1782      8.4
9   Peyton Manning         88.4       9          10           435      692     28     19     5164      7.5
10 Troy Aikman               88.3      11           5           320      502      23     17    3849      7.7
11 Brett Favre                  86.3      13         11           481      791     44     30     5855      7.4
12 Steve Young               85.8      12           8           292      471     20     13     3326      7.1
13 Tom Brady                  85.7      14           5           424      682     30     16     4407      6.5
14 Warren Moon             84.9       3            7           259      403      17     14     2870      7.1
15 Rich Gannon             84.6       4            5            154      240     11      9       1691     7.0
16 Ben Roethlisberger  84.5      10           3           226      369     19     16     2861      7.8
17 Matt Hasselbeck       84.4       5            6           237      406      18      9      2741      6.8
18 Ken Stabler                84.2       7            6           203      351      19     13     2641      7.5
19 Bernie Kosar             83.5       4            5           152      270      16     10     1953      7.2
20 Jake Delhomme       83.3      5             3           130      226      12     10     1847      8.2
21 Terry Bradshaw        83.0      14           5            261     456      30     26     3833      8.4




Not too shabby for a guy with two years experience.  Now of course he hasn't been asked to shoulder the load as much as guys like Montana, Manning, Brees, or Young, but Mark has been pretty effective in what he's been asked to do and has shown considerable improvement over his regular season numbers.


Going back to the percentage of attempts intercepted, Sanchez's paltry 1.9% of attempts intercepted would place him fourth on this list, only behind Rodgers, Starr, and Brees.  This is astonishing improvement from his rookie regular season numbers, where a whopping 5.5% of his attempts were intercepted.  While he did make remarkable improvement in that department in his second regular season (only 2.6% where picked off), his tremendous post-season ball security and decision-making is almost unparalleled.

Rather than simply protecting the ball, Sanchez has risen to the occasion when asked to make a play.  5.7% of his playoff passes have resulted in a touchdown, placing him 7th on this list and ahead of names like Brady, Aikman, and Roethlisberger.

What does this all mean for Sanchez?  The regular season Mark Sanchez is still a work in progress, though it is safe to say that he has shaken off any bust labels placed on him.  A lot remains to be seen whether he will be an above-average quarterback or an elite level quarterback.  Year three in the Jets system will go a long way in determining his ceiling.  Accuracy will be of paramount focus for Sanchez since that is his major weakness at this point, and it is what seemed to have triggered his playoff successes thus far.  He probably will not be a guy that will finish top 5 in yards or TDs most years, but he has the makings of a guy you want behind center when the season is on the line.

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