New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has endured a rocky 2018 NFL season, to say the least. It appears he is well on his way to joining NFL legend Peyton Manning, albeit not in the most desirable fashion.
Darnold has thrown a league-high 14 interceptions through the first nine games of the season. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, this puts him well on track to surpass Manning's rookie interceptions record of 25:
Jets rookie Sam Darnold, after throwing four interceptions on Sunday against the Dolphins, leads the league with 14. Through nine games, that puts Darnold on pace for 25 interceptions.
The prospect of Darnold throwing 11 more picks throughout the rest of the season certainly is not far-fetched given how he has played thus far. Although the volume at which he is turning the ball over is certainly not ideal, it was to be expected given the rookie's reputation as a gunslinger. There is no question he possesses tremendous arm talent. However, it is clear that he still has a long way to go before learning to utilize it in an efficient manner.
Manning has had to part ways with some precious records this year thanks to the efforts of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. However, it is safe to say that this is a record he would be happy to have taken from him. Manning endured a bit of a rocky rookie campaign as well. Aside from the 25 interceptions, he was only able to lead the Colts to three wins that season.
Fortunately, there is a silver lining in all of this Manning would go on to become one of the most decorated quarterbacks in NFL history. Although Darnold still has much left to prove, there is plenty of optimism that he can turn things around in the near future. He will have a chance to do so this season after New York refuted the notion of potentially benching him at this point.
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