Like it or not at times Jay Gruden can be blunt about his assessment of his team or his players. Sunday was no different when asked about quarterback Mark Sanchez after the Washington Redskins lost 40-16 to the New York Giants.
When asked what didn’t work for Sanchez? Gruden had a very blunt answer.
“What did work? Nothing worked for Mark today,” Gruden told reporters per NBC Sports Washington.
Sanchez was benched in the third quarter after the Redskins fell behind 40-0. He completed 6-of-14 passes for 38 yards and two interceptions, including a pick-six in the first quarter for the game’s first score.
To be fair, Sanchez had several passes dropped on the first couple of drives by the likes of his best targets Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder. However, that does not excuse his performance. Would it have changed his numbers? Yes, certainly.
However, he struggled on other throws. He had several passes tipped including the pick six, that may have been intercepted if the pass came out clean.
Gruden touted that Sanchez was more familiar with the offense than some of the other free agent options when the team signed him on Nov. 19. Unfortunately, that did not help him from avoiding struggles.
The embarrassing loss dropped the Redskins to a record of 6-7 and highlights how bad the season has turned for them after being decimated by a long list of injuries, including at quarterback
Sanchez was the third quarterback to start for the Redskins this season after Alex Smith suffered a season-ending compound fracture in Week 11 on a sack. He broke both his fibula and tibia and underwent emergency surgery immediately.
Colt McCoy started two games in place of Smith. However, he suffered a broken fibula when he got kicked in the leg last Monday against the Philadelphia Eagles after sliding on a sack to avoid contact.
After Sanchez’s benching, Josh Johnson was named the starting quarterback for the Redskins next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Johnson came in down 40 points and led Washington to two late-game touchdowns — one passing and one rushing.
