Third quarterback Erik Ainge scored on a one-yard keeper with 22 seconds on the clock to culminate an 18-play, fourth-quarter drive, but his two-point conversion pass to Marcus Henry fell incomplete.
Mark Sanchez opened the game behind center for the Jets but got off to a slow start in his first pro start. His first pass, 30 seconds into the game, lacked both height and speed and was easily intercepted by Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Sanchez eventually got more comfortable and led the Jets to a touchdown in his fifth and final series of the night. He finished 3-for-8 for 43 yards with one touchdown and one interception in 25 plays.
“It was good experience for a rookie,” Sanchez told newyorkjets.com, “but not the way you want to start. … It was difficult those first couple of plays, but I settled down.
Sanchez gave way to quarterback Kellen Clemens with 2:34 left on the clock in the first half. Clemens’ third pass of the game was intercepted, just like Sanchez’s first.
“Obviously, the interception to finish the first half was disappointing,” Clemens told newyorkjets.com. “We had a little miscommunication with the routes underneath. On a positive note, I did like how we responded.”
Clemens completed 5-of-10 passes for 60 yards, a touchdown and an interception in six drives (19 plays).
Three quarterbacks and one loss later, coach Rex Ryan had plenty of material for a postgame lecture. But he wasn’t ready to announce his regular-season starter yet. The competition between Sanchez and Clemens is expected to continue this week as the Jets prepare to face the Giants at the Meadowlands on Saturday.
