EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Welcome to the NFL, Sam Darnold -- the real NFL.
Six days after his storybook debut, the New York Jets' quarterback faced a legitimate defense for the first time and turned into an inconsistent rookie in a 20-12 loss to the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.
What a buzzkill.
This was the Jets' most anticipated home opener in years -- the place was electric at kickoff -- but the masses received a sobering reminder that rookie quarterbacks are prone to growing pains. Darnold wound up throwing for 334 yards and a touchdown, but there were too many hiccups and too many missed opportunities.
This was his first taste of NFL adversity, and he handled it well, calling it a “learning experience.” He owned up to his mistakes, even the bad plays that weren’t his fault. Accountability is critical for a new quarterback, and he passed that test.
"There are some things he can do better,” coach Todd Bowles said. “I’m not saying he played a great game. I’m not saying he played a bad game. ... Regardless if you’re young or old at the quarterback position, you want to take care of the football. It’s not just Sam. We didn’t play well. We didn’t coach well.”
He made it look easy in Week 1 against the soft Detroit Lions (well, except for his pick-six on his first pass), but it was clear from the outset that the Dolphins had no intention of serving as the foil in another Darnold lovefest.
The 21-year-old threw two interceptions (one in the red zone) and mismanaged the clock at the end of the first half, costing the Jets at least a field goal. Every mistake was damaging. The first interception -- a misread -- set up the Dolphins on a short field, gifting them a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Detect a trend? For the second straight week, a Darnold interception put the Jets in a 7-0 hole. Good teams don't do that.
In the closing seconds of the first half, Darnold -- with no timeouts left – failed to see a wide-open Quincy Enunwa in the end zone. He actually threw a pass in Enunwa’s direction, later admitting he was throwing it away.
On the next play, Darnold made the mistake of throwing to Chris Herndon short of the end zone. He got tackled at the 1 and time ran out, with the Jets unable to line up for a field goal. It was a brain cramp. Darnold should've thrown it away or fired it into the end zone.
Darnold's second interception, with the ball at the Miami 12, came immediately after a Jets takeaway. With a chance to grab the momentum and close the deficit to 20-13, he misfired in the end zone to Terrelle Pryor. Afterward, Pryor said he apologized to Darnold for running a sloppy route.
The two interceptions, plus the clock snafu, cost the Jets at least 13 points.
“Just missed opportunities,” Darnold said.
This was a bitterly disappointing day for the Jets, but it was a good learning experience for their promising young quarterback. Let's be clear: This wasn't his fault; there were breakdowns everywhere. These were tough conditions for any quarterback, let alone a newbie.
Darnold battled bad field position, shaky pass protection and a large deficit for the entire day. He got banged around pretty good by the Miami front, which dominated with a four-man rush. Instead of facing a porous defense on short fields -- see: Detroit -- he experienced his first day of hard quarterbacking.
Continuing a two-year trend, the Jets proved they can't handle prosperity. They've been searching since 2016 for week-to-week consistency. Get used to the roller-coaster because such is life with a rookie quarterback.