Sanchez sharp but O-line struggles in loss

HOUSTON -- Mark Sanchez had the Jets on the move, driving deep into Texans' territory.

The Jets were banging on the door Monday night, poised to score on their first preseason drive. They were 10 yards from the end zone despite missing center Nick Mangold, guard Brandon Moore and wideout Plaxico Burress -- all key components.

But the drive fizzled out the same way so many did last season, when the Jets struggled in the red zone. Sanchez was sacked for a 5-yard loss on third down, forcing them to settle for Nick Folk's 33-yard field goal.

The first-team offense was fruitless in its only other possession, which ended with a punt.

The Texans won, 20-16, after Jets rookie Greg McElroy led a late drive that fell short. The Jets would have taken the lead if rookie receiver Michael Campbell hadn't dropped a sure touchdown pass in the final minute.

Sanchez completed 6 of 7 passes for 43 yards in his two drives, posting a quarterback rating of 92.3. His lone incompletion was a drop that tight end Matthew Mulligan should've had easily.

"I was proud of the first group moving the ball the way we did, getting first downs," Sanchez said. "Now we just need to finish in the red zone. That was one of our big points of emphasis this camp, so that's something we still need to address clearly. I thought we moved the ball well and played pretty well on third down."

Sanchez got wideouts Santonio Holmes and Derrick Mason involved, targeting them a total of five times. Mason caught three passes for 21 yards and Holmes had two catches for 17 yards.

"We looked each other right in the eyes,'' Holmes said, "and it's going to come down to us making big plays for Sanchez. We're excited to be out there with him.''

Besides missing starters Mangold and Moore, the Jets felt another big blow on their second drive when backup center Rob Turner, their top reserve, was injured. He suffered a lower leg injury that kept him out the rest of the game.

Sanchez was sacked on the play; it appeared as if someone along the right side -- possibly Mulligan -- got mixed up on whom to block, allowing Houston's Earl Mitchell to come in for the sack. But it was raw former second-round pick Vladimir Ducasse who had an indirect hand in Turner's injury.

Texans defensive end J.J. Watt easily beat Ducasse, who started at right guard, up the middle. Watt got a piece of Sanchez, causing him to step up in the pocket. Watt fell just after his contact with Sanchez, and an unsuspecting Turner got tangled up with Watt and crumpled to the turf.

Turner got up with a noticeable limp, signaled to the sideline and he had to be carted off. If he is out for an extended period -- and Rex Ryan was seen on television mouthing to offensive line coach Bill Callahan that someone heard a pop -- that would be a significant blow to the Jets' already thin offensive line depth.

The Jets yielded seven sacks to the Texans, which left Ryan fuming.

"Clearly, we've got a long way to go with our protections," Ryan said. "Obviously, you don't have Mangold, you don't have Brandon Moore, Turner went out and all that. There are no excuses. When you are in there, we've got to figure this thing out. It's ridiculous."