Sports

Sam Darnold’s reaction to losing says everything we need to know

Even in the euphoric afterglow of the 48-17 win over the Lions six nights earlier in his NFL debut, being 1-0 and owning the city and basking in the heightened anticipation of his first home opener as a pro, Sam Darnold knew there were going to be days like this.

He just hoped it might take a little longer before he had one.

Make no mistake: Dolphins 20, Jets 12 in Sunday’s home opener at MetLife Stadium was not all on Darnold.

The rookie quarterback did, however, play a prominent role in what became the latest in a series of maddening chapters of the Jets’ failure to handle prosperity — particularly under the watch of current head coach Todd Bowles.

Darnold’s passing numbers — 25-of-41 for 334 yards — told only a part of the story. The two interceptions he threw delivered the damage that became too much to overcome on this sloppy day of offensive football that included three turnovers and seven penalties.





Darnold was at the center of three plays that tilted this game the wrong way for the 1-1 Jets:

He was picked off by Miami safety T.J. McDonald in the first quarter that led, three plays later, to a 7-0 Dolphins lead.

He had receiver Quincy Enunwa wide open in the back of the end zone in a mad scramble to score at the end of the first half, didn’t see him in time and threw the ball away.

And one play after the defense gave him the ball on the Miami 12-yard line in the third quarter, he threw an interception to Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard when a touchdown would have shaved the Miami lead to 20-13.

So yes, Darnold was not at his best Sunday. He was not as efficiently good as he had been in Detroit.





It was, however, what the rookie delivered after the game that was most impressive and further evidence that, even in defeat on this Sunday, the Jets are in good hands at quarterback: accountability.

The 21-year-old shouldered the blame for everything from the interceptions he threw … to the inexcusable pre-snap penalties committed by his offensive line … to the sometimes-spotty pass protection and run blocking … right down to any overcooked burgers or warm beer at some of the pregame tailgates.

“You look at all the plays that you wish you could have back,” Darnold said. “Every loss I have as an individual — whether it’s a game or a play — I’m going to take that as a lesson that I can learn from.”





On missing Enunwa at the end of the half, Darnold said: “As I went to chuck it out of bounds, [Enunwa] almost made a great play in the back of the end zone. But I was throwing that ball away.”

Enunwa: “I wasn’t part of the read. I was open, but you can’t put that on [Darnold]. He had a few other things to look at.”

On the interception in the end zone intended for Pryor, Darnold said: “I put that on myself. I could have put the ball up a little more and give ‘TP’ a chance to go up and snag it with his big body and long arms.”

Pryor: “He’s taking [the blame], and he knows it was my fault. … The way Sam throws, he doesn’t … stare at you. He believes that you’re going to be there, and I let him down [by running a poor route]. I said to him after the game, ‘I hope you forgive me. I’ll make sure I’m there next time.’ ”





“That’s not on Sam. I wish that [interception] could go on as a stat for me. It was really my fault. I let him down on that play.”

What we’re quickly learning about Darnold is this: He won’t be letting his Jets teammates down very often. And that’s a comforting thing coming from the unquestioned team leader.

“The beautiful thing about Sam is if [a mistake] happens once, it typically doesn’t happen again because he moves on past it,” Jets veteran backup quarterback and mentor Josh McCown told The Post after the game. “He corrects it and moves on.”

Case in point: Darnold’s first NFL play in Detroit and his rebound from that.

“This is the NFL and every week you’re going to get something that’s going to challenge you,” McCown said. “That’s the fight. This is his second game, so every time he steps on the field, he learns something about what this league’s about. Today was no different. It was one of those days.”

Darnold and the Jets hope it’ll be a while before they experience another one of these days.





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