Sanchez delivers at the right time

He had been bruised by his coach, booed by his fans and bamboozled by the Bills. But when it mattered most, Mark Sanchez did Sunday what he often does in such circumstances: He won.

Booyah!

Not that the Jets quarterback's performance in a 28-24 victory over the Bills settled nagging questions about his long-term prospects.

It was about as uninspiring as a four-touchdown outing capped by a dramatic, game-winning drive can be, complete with a crushing interception that set up a Buffalo touchdown and assorted other misdeeds.

But Sanchez is nothing if not resilient, and he persevered long enough to make his final two throws count.

On third-and-11 from the Buffalo 36, he found Plaxico Burress, who made a circus catch for a pivotal first down. Two plays later from the 16, he patiently drifted to his right long enough for Santonio Holmes to get open in the end zone for the go-ahead score with 1:01 left.

"Mark [Sanchez] was so poised back there and made some huge plays,'' said coach Rex Ryan, who in practice last week tweaked the starter by giving some of his reps to 41-year-old Mark Brunell, who presumably will remain the backup for now. "We always say that he's at his best in big moments, and you certainly can't get a bigger moment than the one we had today . . . That's who he is. He's a stud. Sanchize.''

Sanchez wasn't as gushy about his coach as his coach was about him, pointedly declining to credit the practice ploy for lighting a fire under him.

"This is a lot bigger than that,'' he said. "That's a motivational tool that Rex used, and you take it all in stride, but this game and this season is a lot bigger than that.''

Does he think that Ryan believes the tactic worked? "I have no idea; you'll have to ask him,'' Sanchez said, unsmiling.

The quarterback seemed equally unamused by the booing he and his teammates were subjected to by the paying customers at MetLife Stadium.

"That's the last thing on my mind,'' he said. "Just like talking about Rex taking [away] reps, there are bigger things on our plate than that.''

But does he hear the boos? "Of course you hear them,'' he said. "You hear a lot of stuff.''

The stuff will continue every time Sanchez stumbles until he wins over skeptics for good by doing something really big, like winning in February.

For now, there only are the ups and downs of an erratic quarterback heading an erratic offense.

The first half in particular was messy. Drayton Florence, who earlier had dropped a potential interception, came underneath Holmes, caught the ball and returned it to the Jets' 20 to set up Buffalo's second score.

Holmes thought Florence had interfered with his route, driving him off course and causing Sanchez's throw to look worse than it was.

Sanchez was better in the second half, finishing 9-for-15 for 114 yards and two TDs, but even then there were miscues, such as a crucial third down on which Holmes went one way and Sanchez threw the other. "He adjusted his route when I didn't think he would,'' Sanchez said.

After all that, Sanchez went 7-for-9 for 66 yards on the last drive, giving him eight comebacks in the fourth quarter or overtime since Week 6 of 2010, the most in the NFL, according to the Jets. The four touchdowns were a career first.

It was that kind of day, with Ryan and Sanchez acknowledging both the ugliness of the path and the loveliness of the bottom line.

Nothing was resolved about Sanchez or the 2011 Jets. But it beat the alternative. Right?

Sanchez's demeanor was so glum a reporter asked whether the victory was not fully satisfying.

"It's huge, especially when you need to win six in a row,'' he said. "I'm thrilled about the win. Don't get me wrong. It's just that I know we can play better than that.''

Someone asked Ryan whether Sanchez still makes him nervous. "The only time I get nervous,'' the coach said, "is when he doesn't get up.''