Sam Darnold might miss time due to shoulder injury picked up on TNF

Sam Darnold is dealing with a potentially serious shoulder injury.

One of the specks of joy that embattled New York Jets fans can cling onto in a depressing 0-4 start to the season was watching the development of third-year quarterback Sam Darnold. Because 2020 continues to kick Jets fans in the butt, they were robbed of that pleasure for a brief period in Thursday’s 37-28 loss against Brett Rypien and the Denver Broncos.

Darnold left the game for a brief period after Broncos linebacker Alexander Johnson threw him to the ground and injured his throwing shoulder. Head coach Adam Gase said that “everything is on the table” with regards to the Darnold injury, including having him miss some games.

Sam Darnold has failed to improve much in his third season with the Jets

While Darnold did scamper for a 46-yard touchdown run on the opening drive, he failed to find the end zone for the remainder of the game. While the combination of Gase’s awful coaching, a porous offensive line, and horrid injury luck can explain the poor performances, Jets fans weren’t expecting Darnold to have just four total touchdowns and four interceptions a quarter of the way through the season.

Joe Flacco came in for a brief period before Darnold returned to the game, completing both of his pass attempts. Darnold might not be setting the world on fire, but he’s certainly a better option than Flacco or 2020 fourth-round pick James Morgan.

Given the poor offensive line and Flacco’s nonexistent mobility, the Jets could be in for a rough time against the tough pass rush of the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.

The Jets are 0-4 and speeding towards the worst record in the league. A Darnold injury is not only going to stunt his development both in a physical aspect and robbing him of experience, but it is going to make the Jets even less competitive than they have been this year.

There’s only 12 more weeks of this, Jets fans. Hang in there