EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 25: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Sam Darnold #14 of the New York Jets Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The Jets will be without Sam Darnold due to injury once again.
The New York Jets appear to be resigned to the fact that they will end up with the No. 1 pick in the draft, move off of regressing quarterback Sam Darnold, and take Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence to start a new era.
Darnold’s 2020 season has been an abject nightmare, as his poor play on the field has been compounded with some serious injury concerns.
Darnold’s shoulder injury, which he sustained in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos and reaggravated against the Kansas City Chiefs weeks later, is continuing to bother him, and head coach Adam Gase confirmed that he will not be active for their tussle against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers. Joe Flacco will get his fourth start of the season in place of Darnold.
Sam Darnold is in the middle of his worst season as a pro
Darnold, who has now missed time in all three of his pro campaigns due to injury, hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since September. While the lackluster coaching of Gase and the poor perimeter talent are partially to blame, totaling just three passing touchdowns against six interceptions in six starts is unacceptable for a No. 3 overall pick in his third season.
Oddly enough, the Jets might actually get a better performance out of Flacco. While Flacco is nowhere near the player he was in Baltimore and the Jets have lost all three of the games he’s started, he has thrown four touchdowns against just two interceptions. His three touchdowns against the New England Patriots were almost enough to help the Jets get their first win of the season.
The Jets appear to have broken Darnold, both physically and mentally. The best-case scenario for him would be ending up as a backup on a team coached by a creative offensive mind. Doing so could help him put the nightmare of 2020 behind him.