FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There were ups. There were downs. Lots of downs, which is usually the case when a team finishes 4-12.
But there mainly was hope for the future in quarterback Sam Darnold’s rookie season as the Jets’ latest savior. It was just that Sunday was not one of the ups. Losses like the 38-3 shellacking administered by the Patriots at Gillette Stadium rarely are.
“It’s embarrassing,” said Darnold, who completed 16-of-28 passes for 167 yards but could not bring the Jets into the end zone all game. “It’s embarrassing to go out there and lose 38-3. I’m really proud of the way we fought, the way we competed. It just wasn’t enough.”
Moral victories never equate to playoff appearances.
While the Patriots had a lot to play for, the Jets were faced with the task of trying to send Todd Bowles out a winner in his final game as their coach. It became a moot point rather quickly as the Jets were sliced and diced by the Tom Brady-inspired Patriots.
“It was a great atmosphere,” said Darnold, praising the Patriots fans. “At the beginning of the game and in the first half and even early on in the second half, it was a fun atmosphere, really fun to play in.”
Yeah, and smashing your forearm with a hammer is fun, too.
Well, the fun subsided quickly after halftime. But the hope still is maintained by all those faithful to the green and white. And Darnold, the third pick in the last draft, is the primary cause of that hope — even if he did not want to address his season on Sunday.
“I’m going to do that Tuesday,” Darnold said. “Tonight and tomorrow, I’ll really focus on this game and how we can get better. I’ll focus on how this whole season went probably Tuesday.”
Bowles called the quarterback’s initiation a typical rookie campaign.
“It has some ups and downs, obviously. It’s been a learning process for him. Hopefully that helps him going forward,” Bowles said.
Veteran quarterback Josh McCown, Darnold’s mentor, was far kinder.
“I just think processing. That’s the key to every young quarterback, is growth just his ability to process plays and move quickly through reads got better throughout the season,” McCown said. “That’s all you can hope for with a young quarterback, and that was the main thing that I saw and am pleased with. And I really think the sky’s the limit for him.
“He has had consistent growth, from the first week through now,” McCown said. “That’s what’s most important.”