Mark Sanchez Replaced: Jets QB Pulled In Win As Third-Stringer Greg McElroy Leads Team To Win

Mark Sanchez was replaced after two and a half ineffective quarters for the New York Jets, and with third-string quarterback Greg McElroy led the team to a victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the team appears to have a changing of the guard at signal caller.

Before Mark Sanchez was replaced in the third quarter of the team’s 7-6 victory, he struggled with inaccuracy, throwing three interceptions.

Watching the team’s offense sputter, Jets coach Rex Ryan said he knew it was time to have Mark Sanchez replaced.

“It’s just something I sensed,” Ryan said. “When you’re around this game long enough, you get that feeling that, You know what? I’ve seen this long enough, and it’s time to make that change.”

The Jets replaced Mark Sanchez at the 10-minute mark of the third quarter, drawing cheers from the sparse crowd at MetLife Stadium, NFL.com noted. Greg McElroy stepped right in, taking the team on a 10-play, 54-yard drive through the stingy Cardinals defense, capping it with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland. The lone touchdown would prove the difference in a game otherwise dominated by defense.

The benching leaves Sanchez as one of the most expensive backups in the league, the New York Times noted. In the offseason he signed an extension that guaranteed $20.5 million through 2013.

But even with Mark Sanchez replaced, it’s unlikely that backup Tim Tebow would assume the starting role, the New York Times noted. The team has never had confidence in Tebow, refusing to give him a look at quarterback during the team’s blowout games and using him sparingly on offense.