This weekend, a certain sect of New York Jets fans finds itself in a bizarre place as Gang Green takes on the Minnesota Vikings in London. Those fans who’ve always stubbornly believed in Sam Darnold must hope he reverts to his Jets ways on Sunday with their club desperate for a victory.
Under Kevin O’Connell, Darnold has shined. He leads the NFL with 11 passing TDs and a 118.9 passer rating -- tied for the second-most pass TDs and second-highest passer rating through four games in Minnesota history behind only Daunte Culpepper (13 pass TD and 126.0 passer rating in 2004).
Darnold is the seventh QB (10th total instance) to have two-plus pass TDs and a 100-plus passer rating in each of his team’s first four games of a season. Five of the previous nine went on to win AP NFL Most Valuable Player that season (Tom Brady in 2007, Aaron Rodgers in 2011 and 2020, Peyton Manning in 2013, Matt Ryan in 2016; others: Ryan in 2012, Brady in 2015, Russell Wilson and Josh Allen in 2020).
Quinnen Williams, one of a few holdovers from the Darnold years in New York, appreciates the quarterback’s career turn.
“I think he’s doing a great job,” Williams said Monday, via the New York Post. “He’s playing out of his mind right now, he’s balling right now, he’s doing a lot of great things. I was here with him for a couple of years. Super excited to go against him, it’s gonna be a great challenge.”
After being selected No. 3 overall in 2018, Darnold went 13-25 with the Jets. From the mononucleosis jokes to “seeing ghosts” memes to scatterbrained play, it was a dismal three seasons for the quarterback. Then he bounced around from Carolina, where he started 17 games over two seasons, to a backup in San Francisco last year.
Now, he’s found rebirth in Minnesota.
In O’Connell’s QB-friendly system, Darnold has looked more poised in the pocket, made fewer mistakes (though he’s gotten away with some miscues) and distributed the pigskin with aplomb. It’s a system that gives him answers and, at times, allows the QB to flash the big arm.
Sunday marks the third time in the last 50 seasons that a starting QB will take a 4-0 or better record against the team that drafted him. The other two instances came from Manning versus Indianapolis (the Hall of Fame QB lost both games but led Denver to the Super Bowl in both seasons).
Jets linebacker Quincy Williams knows all about redemption stories. The elder Williams was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars after two seasons before landing in New York and growing into an All-Pro.
“If you’re one of those people who get that second chance and you take full advantage of it, that’s great,” Quincy Williams said. “Some people [are like], ‘It was the team’s fault’ and are not looking at themself in the mirror saying like, ‘All right, what can I do to get better and what can I do to provide for this next team that I’m on or what can I do to stand out on this team?’
“(Darnold’s) one of those guys that said, ‘What can I do to stand out on this team and what can I do to better this team?’ So I’m excited for him, for real.”
The Williams duo can be both impressed by Darnold’s redemption and excited to knock him down on Sunday.