The Jets opened their 2012 season against the Buffalo Bills with Sanchez completing 19 of his 27 passes for 266 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception in a 48–28 rout of the Bills.
In the subsequent four games, Sanchez became the first quarterback since Stoney Case in 1999 to complete under 50% of his passes in four straight contests as the Jets fell to a 2–3 record.
This led to fierce criticism from the media and fans and prompted calls for Sanchez to be bench in favor of Tim Tebow.
Sanchez snapped this streak against the Indianapolis Colts on October 14, 2012 completing 11 of his 18 passes for 82 yards and throwing for 2 touchdowns in a 35–9 victory over Indianapolis.

The following week, the Jets faced their division rivals, the Patriots.
Despite a second-half lead by New England, the game was tied at the end of regulation forcing overtime.
Following a Patriots field goal, Sanchez had the ball knocked out his hand by linebacker Rob Ninkovich who recovered the fumble and sealed the Patriots' victory.
This was Sanchez's best overall performance to that point in the season as he completed a career record 68% of his passes when attempting 40 or more passes.
Sanchez's struggles continued in the following two games against Miami and Seattle; in Seattle, Sanchez completed 9-of-22 passes for 124 yards while throwing his fourth red zone interception of the year and was the fifth game of the season where he completed under 50% of his pass attempts.

The Jets snapped their losing streak in a 27–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams in which Sanchez completed 15 of his 20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown.
However, his struggles continued in a rematch against New England on Thanksgiving night.
Despite completing 26 of 36 of his pass attempts for 301 yards and a touchdown and interception, the Jets lost to the Patriots 49–19 and fell to 4–7 as Sanchez turned the ball over twice—each turnover led to Patriots touchdowns.
The Jets surrendered 21 points within a 53-second span on 3 turnovers.
The play that earned Sanchez the most criticism was a second-quarter fumble where he ran into the backside of lineman Brandon Moore and the Patriots scored on the resulting fumble; this play, becoming widely known as the butt fumble, was mocked in the media.

Sanchez started the next week, but was benched in the third quarter of the Jets' contest against the Arizona Cardinals on December 2, 2012 in favor of third string back-up Greg McElroy.
Prior to being benched by Rex Ryan, Sanchez threw three interceptions.
McElroy threw a touchdown to tight end Jeff Cumberland to score the team's only points in a 7–6 victory over Arizona.
Rex Ryan renamed Sanchez the starting quarterback the following Wednesday after seeking out multiple opinions within the organization.
Sanchez returned to complete 12 his 19 passes for 111 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars, fumbling once that led to a Jaguar field goal.
The Jets won 17–10.
In a must-win game against the Tennessee Titans to remain in playoff contention, Sanchez struggled; he completed 13 of his 28 passes for 131 yards while throwing four interceptions and fumbling the ball in Titans territory in the closing minutes of the Jets' 14–10 defeat.
A day later, Ryan named McElroy the starter.
Sanchez started the Jets' final game against the Buffalo Bills after McElroy revealed he had been experiencing concussion symptoms in the days preceding.
The Jets were defeated 28–9 with Sanchez completing 17 of his 35 passes for 205 yards and two turnovers.
The Jets opened their 2012 season against the Buffalo Bills with Sanchez completing 19 of his 27 passes for 266 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception in a 48–28 rout of the Bills. In the subsequent four games, Sanchez became the first quarterback since Stoney Case in 1999 to complete under 50% of his passes in four straight contests as the Jets fell to a 2–3 record. This led to fierce criticism from the media and fans and prompted calls for Sanchez to be bench in favor of Tim Tebow. Sanchez snapped this streak against the Indianapolis Colts on October 14, 2012 completing 11 of his 18 passes for 82 yards and throwing for 2 touchdowns in a 35–9 victory over Indianapolis.
The following week, the Jets faced their division rivals, the Patriots. Despite a second-half lead by New England, the game was tied at the end of regulation forcing overtime. Following a Patriots field goal, Sanchez had the ball knocked out his hand by linebacker Rob Ninkovich who recovered the fumble and sealed the Patriots' victory. This was Sanchez's best overall performance to that point in the season as he completed a career record 68% of his passes when attempting 40 or more passes. Sanchez's struggles continued in the following two games against Miami and Seattle; in Seattle, Sanchez completed 9-of-22 passes for 124 yards while throwing his fourth red zone interception of the year and was the fifth game of the season where he completed under 50% of his pass attempts.
The Jets snapped their losing streak in a 27–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams in which Sanchez completed 15 of his 20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. However, his struggles continued in a rematch against New England on Thanksgiving night. Despite completing 26 of 36 of his pass attempts for 301 yards and a touchdown and interception, the Jets lost to the Patriots 49–19 and fell to 4–7 as Sanchez turned the ball over twice—each turnover led to Patriots touchdowns. The Jets surrendered 21 points within a 53-second span on 3 turnovers. The play that earned Sanchez the most criticism was a second-quarter fumble where he ran into the backside of lineman Brandon Moore and the Patriots scored on the resulting fumble; this play, becoming widely known as the butt fumble, was mocked in the media.
Sanchez started the next week, but was benched in the third quarter of the Jets' contest against the Arizona Cardinals on December 2, 2012 in favor of third string back-up Greg McElroy. Prior to being benched by Rex Ryan, Sanchez threw three interceptions. McElroy threw a touchdown to tight end Jeff Cumberland to score the team's only points in a 7–6 victory over Arizona. Rex Ryan renamed Sanchez the starting quarterback the following Wednesday after seeking out multiple opinions within the organization. Sanchez returned to complete 12 his 19 passes for 111 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars, fumbling once that led to a Jaguar field goal. The Jets won 17–10. In a must-win game against the Tennessee Titans to remain in playoff contention, Sanchez struggled; he completed 13 of his 28 passes for 131 yards while throwing four interceptions and fumbling the ball in Titans territory in the closing minutes of the Jets' 14–10 defeat. A day later, Ryan named McElroy the starter. Sanchez started the Jets' final game against the Buffalo Bills after McElroy revealed he had been experiencing concussion symptoms in the days preceding. The Jets were defeated 28–9 with Sanchez completing 17 of his 35 passes for 205 yards and two turnovers.
Mark Sanchez