Mark down Monday night’s game against the Browns at MetLife Stadium as the first tangible pressure point of Sam Darnold’s Jets career.

Darnold was on scholarship last season. He was the franchise quarterback every Jets fan in the land wanted the team to draft, and they did. For many fans, the mere drafting of Darnold made the 2018 season a success, because it represented a new beginning.

So, his rookie season was not about wins and losses. For the record, he went 4-9 as the starter. But that didn’t matter as much as the fact he started 13 games, and gained valuable experience for the future.

Here’s the thing, though: That future is now, this season. The training wheels came off after the 2018 season finale.

The burden of expectation — an intangible element that was not present for him last season — has arrived for Darnold. And what took place in Sunday’s season opener, that hideous 17-16 loss at home against the Bills, wasn’t satisfactory.

This is not to say the loss was all on Darnold. It was on the entire offense, which failed to move the ball against the Buffalo defense and managed to score just six points in a first half when the defense forced four turnovers.

But based on the experience he gained last season, the poise he displayed and the success he had, the rules in Year 2 have changed for Darnold. He’s the face of the franchise. He’s the leader in the locker room.

He’s now expected to make the players around him better, expected to carry the team when those around him are lagging. Darnold wasn’t able to do either on Sunday. But he will in future games — hopefully, for the Jets’ sake, beginning Monday night at home against the Browns, so they can avoid falling into that dreaded 0-2 hole.

Is this too much to ask of Darnold? It shouldn’t be for a third-overall pick in the draft, and he’ll be the first person to acknowledge that.

A look at the stat sheet from Sunday shows some numbers associated with Darnold that weren’t bad. He completed 68.3% of his passes, threw for a touchdown and didn’t turn the ball over.

But he passed for just 175 yards, didn’t get the ball down the field and had a paltry 4.27 yards-per-attempt, which was worst in the AFC among starting quarterbacks in Week 1.

More important than any of those numbers, though, was something Darnold didn’t do: get the Jets into the end zone enough. One offensive touchdown isn’t acceptable, particularly when the opponent turns the ball over four times.

So, how does Darnold respond to Sunday’s spotty performance?

He’ll already start a step behind the eight ball, having been sent home Wednesday with what coach Adam Gase described as strep throat.

“He’s going to get better every week,’’ Gase said Wednesday. “The more he sees, the better it is. In the Buffalo game, you saw some exotic pressures, you saw some different looks. There were a ton of un-scouted looks.

“We have to be able to use the tools that we have in our offense to be able to fix things in real time. That’s what makes the NFL so hard sometimes for quarterbacks — when you get those looks that you hadn’t really seen before.’’

In Darnold’s rookie season he became known for being a quick study and rarely making the same mistake twice.

“He’s growing up,’’ veteran guard Brian Winters said. “He was a rookie last year and obviously he’s going to make mistakes. But what I like this year is he’s learned from those things, he’s corrected them and he’s grown up.’’

How does Winters think Darnold will respond Monday against the Browns?

“I know he’s going to do well,’’ Winters said. “He’s a competitor, he’s a great player. I’m excited for him. It’ll be a fun matchup.’’

Veteran defensive lineman Steve McLendon sounded confident about what he expects to see Monday night.

“I’m not worried, not at all,’’ McLendon said. “I know he’s going to respond. Every great quarterback has had a day that they wish they could have back. He’ll be fine. It’s only one week. Teams better watch out for him, because I know what he can do. I have seen him in action. I’m excited for him to just catch fire and take off, because he has everything that you can ask for in a quarterback.’’