New York Jets: 3 Big takeaways from Preseason Week 2

2. Sam Darnold should be the Week 1 starter

Sam Darnold started this game sans two offensive linemen. He still performed well (minus the mistake which we will get to later). As a result of the aforementioned missing linemen, Darnold saw a lot of pressure and, early on, he dealt with the pressure well. The fumbling issue seems to have been corrected as he kept two hands on the ball while on the move.

Darnold was cool in the pocket early. He threw the ball away when he had to, check it down, and hit open receivers. In addition to that, he made most of the proper reads. He wasn’t fazed by the defense and took his lumps behind terrible pass protection, much like he did at USC last season.

It’s time to discuss the elephant in the room, though, the interception. That was the first big mistake Darnold made this preseason. That  said, it was a rookie mistake, and he’ll learn from that. The man covering Bilal Powell dropped into coverage when he saw Powell blocking, and Darnold didn’t see him.

It was also fourth down. So if he throws the ball away, the Redskins still get the ball. In the end, it’s a turnover, and Darnold just had to learn that defenders will drop when they see their man blocking.