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Did it really change anything?
Talking about Sam Darnold’s performance against the Los Angeles Rams, in the Jets’ first win of the season.
He went 22-31 for 207 yards, 1 TD and a 99.8 QB rating
It was perhaps his best performance of the season.
Heard a few national pundits say this could help him keep the job next year, that he made a statement.
It might be a little naive to lean into one game to that degree.
Darnold was solid in this game, but let’s keep things in context.
He threw one touchdown in this game. It was a low-difficulty throw. It was a great play-call. It was a one-read pass to a wide open Ty Johnson in the left flat. Nobody was near him, and Johnson did a good job running after this short pass, and taking it in for an 18-yard TD. Another key play on this drive was a first-read pass to Chris Herndon for 12 yards.
On the Jets only other TD drive of the game, their first possession of the second half, a key play on this drive, was a one-read to Herndon down the left side for a gain of 22 to the 6-yard-line. Early in this drive, Darnold had a one-read completion to Beshard Perriman for a gain of 21.
If the play-caller dials up great first reads, Darnold is fine. He can make all the throws. But to expect that to happen all the time is Pollyanna.
The Jets’ defense (Bryce Hall pick) and special teams (J.T. Hassel blocked punt), gave the Jets’ offense great field position, on back-to-back second quarter drives, but they had to settle for field goals. This has happened too much for the 2020 Jets – settling for field goals or field goal attempts.
In the fourth quarter, the Jets had a good drive, getting to the Rams 6-yard-line – 1st and goal from the 6 – but the drive stalled, and they had to settle for a field goal. On this drive, the key play was a 24-yard pass to Jamison Crowder. It was street-yard ball, something else Darnold is very good at. He left the pocket, rolled right, and threw a short pass to a wide open Crowder, who turned this short-pass into a 24-yard gain.
Darnold has 6 touchdown passes in 10 starts this year.
Darnold is very good when the play-caller dials up a great first read, or when the play breaks down, and he can run around, and find an open receiver. But in the pocket, going threw his progressions – “one, two, three, checkdown” – that is still an issue. And if you want to be an elite QB in this league, you need to be able to do this.
You can’t expect to win every week on first-reads and street-yard ball.
So no, this game doesn’t change much.
Well maybe it does change one thing – perhaps some other team will be impressed from a distance, and it will enhance his trade value.
But you can’ be naive, like the Jets were in 2013, when they kept Rex Ryan, after win over Miami in the season-finale, to get to 8-8. You don’t make decisions based on a small sample size.
The Jets need to either trade Darnold, or pick a QB, and maybe let Darnold compete with that player for a job paying his fourth-year rookie salary, or trade for a QB (maybe Carson Wentz).
But nothing should have changed in the Darnold scouting report/evaluation based on the Jets’ win over the Rams.
Going through progressions is still a problem, as is settling for too many field goals, or field goal attempts.
December 23, 2020
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