Report: Jets May Be Forced to Start Tim Tebow Soon, With Team Struggling to Sell 12,000 Tickets for Monday Night Game

by Benjamin Klein on Sun, Oct 7, 2012 at 11:50AM

Mark Sanchez may lose his starting role for the Jets soon, and it's not just because he isn't putting up good numbers.

New York is having a tough time selling tickets to its Monday Night Football game against the undefeated Houston Texans, as 12,000 seats were still unsold as of Friday, according to Pro Football Talk. MetLife Stadium holds around 83,000 people, meaning that 14 percent of the stadium could be empty come Monday night.

The Jets later denied the report but didn't comment on how many tickets were sold or if owner Woody Johnson bought the remaining seats, according to ESPN.

The Jets' problem, however, isn't necessarily ticket prices. It's their
level of play, which has sunk considerably due to their quarterback
situation.

Sanchez has completed less than half of his passes this year and is averaging less than 200 passing yards a game while throwing five touchdowns and four interceptions. Backup QB Tim Tebow has only had one pass attempt the entire year, which he completed for nine yards.

Fans have been calling for Tebow to start, but head coach Rex Ryan has been reluctant to use him as the team's quarterback. Instead, he's mainly been used as a decoy or in wildcat formations. Still, while Tebow's track record hasn't done much to show that the Jets will be better off if he starts, he might sell more tickets.

If the Jets don't give Tebow the opportunity to start at QB soon, they could be at risk to being blacked out on TV in the upcoming weeks.