Another week, another strong performance from Sam Darnold.
The quarterback and the Jets took care of business against the Raiders Sunday with a 34-3 win. Darnold torched the Oakland defense all game long, going 20-29 for 315 yards and three total touchdowns (one rushing). He had a quarterback rating of 127.8.
For his performance, Darnold is Jets Wire’s Player of the game for the second consecutive week.
Darnold’s play over the last few weeks has really picked up. He’s done a nice job making all the necessary throws and still making plays outside the pocket. Most importantly, Darnold is not turning the football over. Instead of forcing the ball into areas where Darnold has nowhere to throw, he’s actually throwing the ball away. In his last three games, Darnold has thrown for 838 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.
But when talking about Darnold’s play of late, you can’t forget to mention the job Adam Gase has done. Ever since Darnold went to Gase a few weeks ago and talked about the play calling, everything has changed. Gase has played to Darnold’s strengths and the quarterback is making the plays. This offense could barely put up any points earlies this season; Gang Green has now put up over 30 points in its last three games.
It’s extraordinary what this quarterback can do when he has a coach that is calling plays that makes him feel most comfortable. The jury was still out on Darnold if he was as good as everyone thought he was. Those critics have gone silent over the past few weeks.
Darnold’s confidence is clearly back and the entire offense is rolling because of it. He’ll have a couple of more favorable matchups over the next two weeks against the Bengals and Dolphins, which should allow him to keep this hot streak going.