Darnold showing promise Jets expected
For the New York Jets, they are discovering sometimes a loss in the final weeks of a losing season can actually feel like a victory.
The reason is simple and it is all because of another encouraging performance by rookie quarterback Sam Darnold.
While Darnold could not produce his second career game-winning drive in a 29-22 loss to the Houston Texans, he does give the Jets and their fans a high level of intrigue heading into the last two games.
Seeing what kind of follow-up performances Darnold could produce would be intriguing regardless of the opponent but an added layer of intrigue exists for the 4-10 Jets due to the opposing quarterbacks.
First up is Aaron Rodgers (assuming Rodgers plays since he injured his groin last week) and the Green Bay Packers this week at home in a matchup of non-playoff teams and then a visit to New England to face Tom Brady for the first time.
“During the offseason, I look at Aaron all the time, first of all just to watch some of the cool throws that he’s able to make,” Darnold said of possibly facing Rodgers. “He really is the most talented person I’ve ever seen the way he’s able to get rid of the ball and throw the football.
“Just from that aspect, it’s fun as a quarterback knowing how hard the position is, knowing how hard it is to play, it’s really cool to be able to watch someone really make it look so easy.”
Darnold enters the first of his two matchups with future Hall of Famers after two performances that served as a positive sign. In the last two games he completed 40 of 62 passes for 423 yards and threw three touchdown passes, doing so after sitting for three games with a foot injury.
“He’s just comfortable,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “When he’s playing his game, he’s not trying to be perfect. He’s just trying to play football. He’s enjoying playing football. That comes game-by-game. Obviously, having success has something to do with it, but when you sit out a while, you get to step back. When you come back, you’ve learned a little bit. He looks like he’s learned quite a bit.”
Darnold achieved those numbers while only getting picked off once after getting intercepted seven times in his previous three games. He also demonstrated a talent to keep drives going with his mobility in the pocket and on scrambles.
“He’s a competitor; I say that every week,” safety Jamal Adams said. “He’s a bad man and the future is bright for him.”
In fact, Darnold’s performance in a loss was so impressive at times that even the opposition was pointing it out. As he shook hands with the Texans following a game when he sacked Darnold twice and forced a fumble, J.J. Watt told him, “You’re going to be a great pro.”
“It means a lot coming from a guy like that, obviously for him to say that it means a lot but at the same time I just got to continue to work hard and just continue to sharpen all the tools in my toolbox, so that every single time I play a good player like him I can continue to play well and do my thing,” Darnold said.
Still even with the accolades coming, Darnold feels he could do better in some instances and improve his decisiveness.
“Just on a couple plays I feel like I was indecisive. I think I have been seeing that all year, just continue to make clean decisions and when a guy is open just to get it to him. Also on the quicker throws, be ready to throw them. I feel like sometimes my feet, I was ready to throw a deeper route, whereas maybe I could’ve been ready to throw a little bit earlier. So, just continuing to clean up my feet and continuing to clean up my rhythm in terms of when I need to throw the ball and get it out of my hands.”
The six-game losing streak cannot be erased and a double-digit total of losses cannot be undone for the Jets. What can be gleaned from the last few weeks is the progress of Darnold for a team starved for a franchise quarterback since the days of Joe Namath.
SERIES HISTORY: 13th regular-season meeting. Jets lead series, 8-4. The Jets last faced Green Bay in a 31-24 road loss on Sept. 14, 2014 and then took a 9-0 home loss on Oct. 31, 2010. Before the two losses, the Jets had won eight of nine meetings, including Dec. 29, 2002 when they clinched their most recent AFC East title with a 42-17 blowout win.
