In Ugly Win, Jets Quarterback Sam Darnold Shows Maturity and Growth
Another game, another sign of growth from Sam Darnold in what is now being a year dictated by his maturation. The New York Jets quarterback didn’t have his best performance of the season but showed continued development in a 16-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Worries about Darnold’s regression this year are now unfounded after a game where he limited mistakes and didn’t let frustrations lead to turnovers. Darnold finished the game 16-of-23 for 183 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked twice and on one of those sacks, he fumbled and lost the ball. There were blemishes to his performance but Darnold’s emerging maturity is the defining storyline of the last two months of the season.
Importantly, there were no interceptions and Darnold was overall solid, going against one of the top defensive units in the NFL that came into the game with the league’s best pass rush.
The win continues the Jets recent upswing as they have five wins in their last seven games. And for the second time in this stretch of games, the Jets beat a team not only with a winning record but one that was vying for the postseason. During this hot streak for the Jets, Darnold has limited mistakes and played smart, sound football.
His strong performances, including a solid one on Sunday against Pittsburgh, have not surprisingly coincided with the Jets winning games. Now against one of the league’s better teams, it was a statement not just for the Jets but that Darnold continues to grow.
“It’s always good to beat a good opponent. I say it all the time, but every team in the NFL is good,” Darnold told reporters after the game.
“It’s nice to just come out here on a Sunday and do our job, execute and win a football game.”
Beating the Steelers lifts the Jets to 6-9, giving them an improvement on their season win total from the year before. Growth, however, is measured in Darnold’s development.
In his second year in the NFL, the Jets future is linked arm-in-arm with how Darnold grows. Earlier in the season, there were legitimate concerns that Darnold was stagnant or perhaps had regressed, such were the worries over not just wins and losses but turnovers.
But following a Week 9 loss at the Miami Dolphins where Darnold was cavalier with the ball, the Jets quarterback has shown marked improvement.
What emerged from MetLife Stadium on Sunday was that Darnold, against one of the league’s best defenses, didn’t panic or succumb. He played within himself and led the Jets on an important late-game scoring drive that resulted in a kicker Sam Ficken field goal and a 16-10 lead.
That field goal changed the dynamic of the game for the Steelers, who now needed a touchdown to tie and an extra-point to beat the Jets.
Instead, the Steelers defense stalled and Darnold’s offense did just enough to beat a high-end opponent.
“I think we’re not too far away. We do need to play more consistent football, especially on offense,” Darnold said.
“But there are definitely some bright spots that we can continue to work on this offseason. So, yeah, we’re not too far away but I think we’ve just got to continue to press to be more consistent.”
