With Trevor Lawrence out of the picture, Sam Darnold continues to defend the Jets by keeping him as quarterback in 2021.
Darnold played a clean, if not spectacular, game at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday in the 23-16 victory over the Browns. Darnold did not spin the ball for the third game in a row. This is the longest stretch of Darnold’s career without billing.
“In terms of not spinning the ball and playing consistently that way, I thought I was playing well,” Darnold said. “Obviously, I thought there were some decisions, maybe not making some of the pitches I could have made. Looking at the tape, though, I think there will be some decisions I will want to go back to or maybe throw at my first reading and not get out of it. There are some things like that, but, in general, I’m happy not to turn the ball upside down and score when we had to. “
Darnold passed 16 of 32 going for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball seven times for 20 yards, turning Browns winger Malcolm Smith into a play.
The 23-year-old has had to deal with speculation about the Jets reaching No. 1 and Lawrence, Clemson’s star, throughout the season. Now, however, the Jets are locked in No. 2 pick and Lawrence looks like he was heading for the Jaguars, who got No. 1 pick with their defeat on Sunday and the Jets win.
“It’s what it is,” Darnold said. “With the current season, there will be talk of the number one selection of anything you can imagine, so for me I’ve been doing a good job of tuning in and working every week, and that’s really true for our entire squad. I feel like all the guys in the locker room have put their heads down and go to work every week so far and again we just want to end up with a good team of Ducks. “
TE Chris Herndon had four catches of 34 yards and one touchdown. He was the one he caught the most from week 1 in Buffalo, when he was six. The Jets needed Herndon’s production with close teammate Ryan Griffin on the reserve list / COVID-19.
“I feel like I’m locked up today, especially with Ryan Griffin, unfortunately, not being here,” Herndon said. “I knew someone would have to step up and play an extra role. I think I did it today and I did it at a high level for my team. “
RB Frank Gore has 16,000 running yards after winning 48 on Sunday. He is the third player in NFL history to achieve that mark, joining Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. Gore left the game in the second half with a chest injury. … RG Josh Andrews left the game with a groin injury. … The Jets finished 1-7 at home this season.