Neither the Jets nor Sam Darnold are concerned with any of the lingering injuries that he’s battled over the past couple of weeks.
In Sunday’s game against the Bengals, Darnold was seen limping toward the end of the loss, but he played through it. When asked after the game if he was seriously hurt, Darnold downplayed the injury and assured reporters that he is okay.
“I just got stepped on, I guess,” Darnold said. “I honestly don’t even really know what happened. … No, I’m not concerned with it.”
As for Adam Gase, the coach admitted there was some concern from the Jets sideline at first glance, but Darnold underwent tests and is fine.
“He just took some shots on the last drive,” Gase said. “He kind of got torqued a little bit, but he should be all right.”
Darnold has dealt with a fair amount of injuries this season. After Week 1, he came down with mononucleosis, which sidelined him for three games. He then sprained his thumb on his left hand, which has forced him to wear a glove. Now he has the knee issue to go along with bruised ribs.
Even with the injuries, Darnold has put together solid numbers overall in nine games despite a rather ugly stretch of play. He has thrown for 2,154 yards and has 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Meanwhile, his completion percentage is up to 63 percent after throwing at a 57 percent clip last season.
With only four games left in the season and the playoffs nowhere in sight, the Jets have to keep their quarterback healthy. Not only is it important for Darnold to finish the year strong, but he needs to go into Year 3 100 percent healthy.