‘Josh Allen Just Ran Into His Own Guy and Fumbled… Weird’: Former QB Mark Sanchez Gets Long-Awaited Vindication for ‘Butt Fumble’

Ahmad Austin Jr.Sep 12th, 2023, 10:53 am
 
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen fumbles on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets

ESPN

After nearly 11 years of torment from the entire NFL community, retired quarterback Mark Sanchez finally isn’t alone.

Monday night’s game between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills had no shortage of headlines. On one end, Jets fans were completely deflated by the injury of star QB Aaron Rodgers, who’s now expected to miss the rest of the season. On the other end, the Jets managed to pull off a storybook ending when undrafted wide receiver Xavier Gipson — one of the stars of the latest season of HBO’s Hard Knocks — won the game by returning a punt for a touchdown in overtime.

Aiding in that unlikely finish were four costly turnovers from Bill QB Josh Allen, including a fumble lost after colliding with his own teammate.

The sight of that play seemed to conjure up memories for Sanchez, who was quick to note that those kinds of fumbles actually aren’t that rare.

“Josh Allen ran into his own guy and fumbled… weird,” Sanchez tweeted with a shrugging emoji.

Those familiar with Sanchez’s career knew exactly what he was referring to: the infamous “butt fumble.”

On Thanksgiving in 2012, Sanchez — the Jets’ QB at the time — fumbled the ball after running into the backside of his teammate and falling to the ground. The New England Patriots’ defense recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown.

Sanchez showed promise early on in his career. After being selected by the Jets with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the QB led the Jets to consecutive AFC Championship appearances in his first two seasons. Unfortunately, he would never reach those heights again the “butt fumble” has become the defining moment of his career for many football fans.

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