The Jets finally got Sam Darnold back who reminded everyone how good he can be with a tremendous performance in a win over the Cowboys.
The vultures were circling in New York around head coach Adam Gase, and the Jets’ coach knew he had an ace in the hole in the form of quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold missed the Jets’ last three games with mono and was finally cleared to return to action this week.
The Dallas Cowboys probably wish Darnold and the Jets took an extra week for precautionary reasons because he reminded the world why the Jets took him third in the 2019 draft with a dominating performance in a 24-22 win at MetLife Stadium.
Darnold did it all for the Jets, completing 23 of 32 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns, including this brilliant 92-yard strike to Robby Anderson.
The Jets built a 21-6 lead at the half and hung on to beat the Cowboys, who were playing without both starting tackles and lost Amari Cooper early in the game, 24-22. The Cowboys couldn’t figure out the Jets’ defensive scheme in the first half, with Dallas struggling to move the football against Gregg Williams’ troops, before an adjustment in the second half to spread the ball more opened up running lanes for Ezekiel Elliott.
The key sequence in this game actually came late in the second quarter, when the Jets stopped the Cowboys on a fourth down deep in their own territory right before the Anderson touchdown pass. The Jets, led by Darnold, also did a good job picking up a crucial field goal in the fourth quarter right after Dallas scored to cut it to 21-16, with the eight-point margin ensuring Dallas needed a two-point conversion to tie the game.
There were definitely causes for concern with the Jets, who couldn’t stop the run in the second half against a Dallas line missing two starters, but the big positive here is that Darnold made them look like an NFL team again. After picking up just 128 yards of offense against Philadelphia a week ago, Darnold had the Jets past that mark early in the second quarter, and his improvisational skills and ability to read the defense helped New York mask a questionable offensive line.
The Jets will look to build on this strong performance when they host the unbeaten Patriots on Monday Night Football next week, and Darnold’s strong play gives them a puncher’s chance in that matchup.
