Jets’ Sanchez shows his maturity after early INT

Sanchez has endeared himself to his teammates by acting more like a 10-year veteran than a second-year player. He sets the tone on the practice field and in the locker room with his competitive nature.

“I don’t care if you’re playing that sucker in dominoes or hopscotch or whatever, he wants to win,” Richardson said. “He’s never lost. I mean, everywhere he’s been, he’s been a winner.”

So, when Sanchez struggled through a rough stretch in the middle of last season, his teammates had to remind him that he was still learning _ and mistakes were expected.

“You’re going to have some bad plays and games that just don’t go your way,” Richardson said. “It’s just a matter of how you pick yourself up and move forward.”

Just as Sanchez did late last season, when he was terrific in the playoffs. He threw four touchdown passes _ more than he had in his last six regular-season games combined _ and two interceptions.

After his first errant pass Monday night, Sanchez marched the Jets on a 14-play drive that was capped by the touchdown pass to Smith.

“He was throwing the ball all over the place, making good checks and did a great job,” Keller said. “I think that’s more of the offense that we are.”

Sanchez followed by leading the offense on drives that ended in field goals on the Jets‘ next two possessions.

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t trying to force anything after that (interception), like, ‘OK, now I need a really good play because I messed something up,’” Sanchez said. “That wasn’t going through my head. It was just staying sharp, going through my progressions, checking it down when I needed to, and letting the other guys do the hard work. I think I did that.”

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