The Jets’ record is beyond salvaging this season and the same may be true of head coach Todd Bowles’ future with the team, but there’s still the chance to end the year with some good feelings.
The easiest route to those feelings would be good performances by quarterback Sam Darnold as he closes out his rookie campaign and they got one in Sunday’s win over the Bills. A trip to the locker room to check on his foot and an interception added some dark clouds early, but Darnold rallied the team for two fourth quarter touchdowns.
One of those touchdowns came after Darnold eluded several Bills pass rushers to make a throw to Robby Anderson in the end zone that tied the game and the second won the game after the Bills had moved back into the lead a few minutes earlier. Head coach Todd Bowles called the quarterback “tough and gritty” after the game and backup quarterback Josh McCown said the performance was a sign that Darnold is made of the right stuff.
“From the [game-winning] drive to leaving the game and coming back ... we’ve said it all season: He has the right makeup,” McCown said, via the New York Post. “Those are the things that you look for and you want in a quarterback that’s going to lead your franchise for a long time. Today was a great glimpse into that.”
Much has gone wrong for the Jets this year, but ending the year with the feeling that they got the Darnold pick right would mitigate a good number of those missteps.