New York Jets fans everywhere are currently banging their head against something hard.
Mark Sanchez led his team to victory ... in Philadelphia. The Eagles backup quarterback has filled in quite nicely for the injured Nick Foles; in fact, he stole the spotlight when it shined brightest on Monday night.
The Eagles trounced the Carolina Panthers Monday, 45-21. The Eagles defense gave the ball back to Sanchez plenty of times throughout the night, and the six-year vet wasn't afraid to put a strangle hold on the starting job with Foles out for likely the rest of the season.
Sanchez recorded his first career 300-yard performance with no turnovers in his NFL career. He passed for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the win, improving the Eagles record to 7-2 and keeping them ahead of the 7-3 Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East.
Sanchez has himself the perfect situation with the Eagles. The spotlight isn't what it was in New York. He's got no Tim Tebow or Geno Smith looking over his shoulder. All the pressure is off.
He's also got plenty of guys to get the ball to. Jeremy Maclin has been arguably the best receiver in the NFL this year. Rookie Jordan Matthews is quickly becoming Sanchez's favorite target. Darren Sproles, Brent Celek, Zach Ertiz and Riley Cooper aren't too shabby either.
Don't count the Eagles out of anything just yet. Replacing Foles with Sanchez is no downgrade, and may actually be better for the team.
A guy who took the Jets to consecutive AFC Championships in his first two seasons in the NFL has the talent on this team to do the same in the NFC. The offense is stacked and the defense is forcing turnovers at a scary rate, carrying fantasy football teams who own them on a weekly basis.
Watch out folks, Mark Sanchez is here to stay.
Zach is a sports writer at sportswriters.us.
