HispanicBusiness

The New York Jets and quarterback Mark Sanchez nearly defied the odds on Sunday, coming within striking distance of a major upset against the Colts, which would have made Sanchez the first rookie quarterback ever to advance to the Super Bowl.

Of course, in professional sports, "nearly" isn't good enough. After losing a 17-0 lead, the Jets couldn't stop the juggernaut that is Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning, and the Colts rallied to a 30-17 victory.

But for 23-year-old Sanchez, the silver lining -- and the future -- appears bright. Coaches, commentators and teammates alike seem to agree his post-season performance was impeccable, and that Sanchez shows tremendous promise.

(Click here to read HispanicBusiness.com's profile on the Sanchez family.)

"The kid's grown up," said tight end Dustin Keller after the game, according to the New York Times. "We're really looking forward to next year him being our leader. With a year under his belt, we can expect this kind of play from him all year."

Similarly upbeat was Jets coach Rex Ryan.

"Mark played great," he said, according to Sporting News Daily. "Hopefully from this point on, you see that confidence he has. He knows our offense. When we come back, we're going to be able to hit the ground running, which is obviously a lot different than how we entered this season."

As for Sanchez himself, he refrained from patting his own back too much after the game.

"I see that I've started becoming the quarterback that this team needs and started making the decisions that a quarterback who makes it to the A.F.C. championship game makes," he said after the game, according to the Times. "I've still got a long way to go, a long way to go. I haven't arrived. I haven't figured it out."

But his mood after the game was unmistakably upbeat.

"It was a heck of a year," he told reporters after the game. "I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world. But the fire still burns, and it's hot. I want to win. This organization does, too. I know we have the right head coach. We have the right pieces. So we'll be back."