Rattle Sam Darnold Early and Often

Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold got a rough start to his NFL career. He became only the third quarterback to see his first NFL throw intercepted and returned for a touchdown — joining Jameis Winston and Brett Favre. To Darnold’s credit, he didn’t let one mistake rattle him. He came back and turned in a good performance as the Jets stomped the Lions to start the season.

Darnold has received much praise for his NFL debut, and deservedly so. It takes a lot of mental fortitude to bounce back from such a disastrous start. However, the hype for his first start has been a touch overblown. He put up good numbers, but they weren’t great. Much of the Jets dominating performance was due to the defense utterly dismantling Matthew Stafford and the Lions offense.

Things shouldn’t be quite so easy for Darnold and the Jets this week against the Dolphins. The Lions simply don’t have anyone on in the front 7 on par with the likes of Cameron Wake. Wake is 36 and in his third season removed from an Achilles injury, but the man just doesn’t slow down. The Dolphins pass rush was a non-factor in the opener against the Titans, and that needs to change this week. If it’s going to, Wake is going to be the one to lead that charge.

Darnold was calm and poised after the early mistake against the Lions. That said, he’s still a rookie and is prone to giving the ball up. Getting to the quarterback and putting the pressure on from the outset will give Miami chances to take over the game and earn a 2-0 start.

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