The 2019 NFL campaign has been a rough one for New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.
Whether it has been a bout with mono or getting caught on tape saying he was “seeing ghosts” in a blowout loss to the New England Patriots, Darnold has certainly had his low moments this season.
But along with the lows, there have also been some highs which have given the Jets some hope.
Let's face it: quarterbacks haven't really been the Jets' thing.
While Gang Green's MetLife Stadium counterparts in the New York Giants just moved on to another quarterback for the first time since 2004, the Jets have had a whopping 17 quarterbacks start games for them over that span.
So having a franchise signal-caller is not something the Jets are used to.
We still don't know if they have one in Darnold, but the fact that he has shown flashes in his second season is obviously a great sign.
In the 11 games he has played this year, Darnold has thrown for 2,642 yards, 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 61.7 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 84.3.
Great numbers? Hardly, but those are certainly not bad stats for a 22-year-old who is still trying to find his way in the NFL.
Plus, it's not like Darnold has a whole lot to work with, as New York's offensive line has been abysmal this season, which has led to running back Le'Veon Bell becoming a virtual non-factor.
As for the receiving corps? Quincy Enunwa has missed most of the year, and Robby Anderson has been somewhat of a disappointment. Meanwhile, tight end Chris Herndon has barely played due to a suspension and injuries.
For that reason, it's hard to place the struggles that Darnold has had squarely on his shoulders, as his supporting cast has been awful, and head coach Adam Gase has not exactly done a great job, either.
And since Week 10? Darnold has been pretty impressive, throwing 11 touchdowns as opposed to just three picks, throwing for well over 200 yards (including a 315-yard outing) in each of his last six games.
While he has completed less than 60 percent of his passes in three straight contests, those are growing pains that are to be expected of a quarterback in his sophomore year, especially one that is playing for a pretty miserable team.
At this stage of Darnold's career, it's more important to look for improvement than anything else, and there doesn't seem to be any doubt that he has gotten better in 2019.
The first half of Darnold's rookie campaign was pretty tough, and he really didn't appear to start coming into his own until the final several weeks of the season.
However, during much of the time that Darnold has been on the field this year, he has been just as effective (if not moreso) as he was over that final stretch of 2018.
We also have to remember that Darnold missed a few games due to mono, so we have to give him a pass for that.
I'm certainly not saying that Darnold has been great this season, because he hasn't, but he's been good enough to give the Jets some hope moving forward.
All things considered, I'm giving Darnold a B-minus for his performance thus far in 2019.
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