EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- At least the New York Jets can't be accused of quitting. They played gamely, but not efficiently, falling to the Houston Texans 23-17 on Monday night at MetLife Stadium

What it means: The injury-depleted Jets, a heavy underdog, had the ball with 3:28 to play in the fourth quarter, down by six points. It's all they could've asked for, considering the quality of the opponent. There was no Monday Night Miracle, only a team that made too many mistakes to beat the big boys. The Jets (2-3) dropped their second straight.

The QB controversy: Mark Sanchez, facing intense scrutiny, did enough to keep his job for the immediate future -- barely. Facing the league's top-ranked defense, Sanchez (14-for-31, 230 yards) ranged anywhere from mediocre to solid, beating the Texans' blitz for a few big plays. In the end, he was held under 50 percent for the fourth straight game. Considering his mish-mash supporting cast, it wasn't a bad performance. He threw two interceptions, but both came on deflections. The latter came on a pass to TE Jeff Cumberland; it went off his hands and ended a potential game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.

As was the case last week, Sanchez committed a killer, momentum-changing turnover before halftime. This time, he was intercepted on a pass tipped by DE J.J. Watt, who single-handedly wrecked the game for the Jets. (Watt later prevented a likely TD pass with another tip.) Playing with such a slim margin for error, Sanchez can't afford to make those mistakes.

Tebow on ice: There was a lot of pregame speculation about an expanded role for backup QB Tim Tebow. Well, it never happened. He played only seven snaps on offense (six at quarterback) -- but hey, he got to throw a deep pass. It was on target, too, but it was dropped by newly signed WR Jason Hill. There was talk about Tebow playing an entire series. He did start one series, but was pulled after two plays. Sanchez played well enough in spurts to keep Tebow on the bench.

Hiccups: The Jets did so much changing of personnel that they had to burn two timeouts. There seemed to be confusion whenever they tried to get Tebow on the field. No excuse.

Shame on the D: The Jets' run defense got off to a terrible start, but got its act together in the second half. After surrendering 245 rushing yards last week, they took a back-to-basics approach in practice. That didn't work in the first half, as they allowed 100 yards to Arian Foster, but they tightened up. Foster finished with 152 yards. That said, there were still too many breakdowns.

The Jets were caught out of position by the well-schooled Texans, who used misdirection runs, screens and play-action passes to exploit the Jets' aggressiveness. The biggest breakdown came after the Jets closed to within 20-14, when they needed a big defensive stop after an onside kick failed. But what happened? They got burned on a misdirection, leaving TE James Casey all alone for a 30-yard gain.

Gambling Rex: Knowing his team was outmanned, Rex Ryan took a few gambles -- a fake punt (successful), a 4th-and-1 try in his own territory (successful) and an onside kick after Joe McKnight's 100-yard TD return on a kickoff (unsuccessful). Ryan will get ripped for the onside kick, but it was a worthwhile risk-reward decision. More than anything, it showed his lack of confidence in his defense. When have we ever said that?

Almost another killer injury: The injury-plagued Jets caught a huge break in the third quarter, when C Nick Mangold went down with an ankle injury. It looked serious (Darrelle Revis and Santonio Holmes flashbacks, anyone?), but he returned after a trip to the locker room.

Big Mac: McKnight has played running back, even a little cornerback, but we all know his meal ticket is returning kickoffs. He scored on a 100-yard return in the third quarter, breathing life into the team and the stadium and cutting the lead to 20-14. The Jets have scored on a kickoff return in 11 straight seasons, a league record.

What's ahead: The Jets have a short week, but at least they don't have to travel. They're at home against the upstart Indianapolis Colts (3-2), coming off an emotional win over the Green Bay Packers.