Glauber: No way Jets should play Sam Darnold vs. Patriots

Sam Darnold held out hope earlier in the week that he might have recovered sufficiently from a foot injury to be ready in time for Sunday’s game against the Patriots at MetLife Stadium.

Jets coach Todd Bowles didn’t close the door on playing Darnold, suggesting he’d know more Friday before making a final decision about his rookie quarterback’s availability.

But there’s only one conclusion to draw when figuring out whether Darnold should face Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick for the first time: There’s no way Darnold should play.

After suffering what he initially felt was pain and not injury late in a 13-6 loss to the Dolphins on Nov. 4, Darnold has shown steady improvement from what has been diagnosed as a foot strain.

“Every single day I feel like I’m progressing so much more and doing so much more in terms of running,” he said.

But despite his optimism that he might return sometime this week, Darnold still hasn’t progressed to the point that he has practiced. Thanksgiving Day came and went with Darnold still not able to practice, so there’s no sense in delaying the inevitable. Bowles should state the obvious and announce that Josh McCown will start against the Patriots and have Davis Webb as his backup.

As tough as it would be for Darnold to return from injury to face the most complicated defensive schemes on the face of the Earth, there’s an even higher degree of difficulty dealing with Belichick’s defense without the benefit of practice. Not only that, but with the Patriots coming off a bye after a 34-10 shellacking in Tennessee, Belichick will be even more dialed in than usual when facing his AFC East foe.

Darnold himself brushed off the need for practice, saying he has been “running this offense for a while now, for 10, 11 weeks. I feel like I wouldn’t really miss a beat there.”

Nonsense.

Even at the time of his injury, Darnold was drowning through the middle of his rookie season. He threw four interceptions against the Dolphins and still leads the NFL with 14 picks. And the poor protection by his line has only made things worse.

In a sense, it was timely that he physically couldn’t play, because mentally, he was a mess. McCown did no better the following week in a 41-10 embarrassment against the Bills, dropping the Jets to 3-7 and effectively closing the door on any fading playoff hopes they might have had. But at least Darnold got a chance to sit back and watch and perhaps gain some perspective on the sideline.

The bye week gave him a chance to rehab the foot problem, but it’s still not to the point that he can function in practice. Which makes the idea of playing in a game that much riskier and ill-conceived. Let him get right physically before putting him back in there.

Bowles correctly said at the time of the injury that Darnold would be his starter regardless of how well McCown might do in his absence.

The thrashing at home against the Bills made it obvious that the 39-year-old couldn’t squeeze more points out of an offense that has misfired in recent weeks, so there will be no hesitation on Bowles’ part to put Darnold back in once he’s ready.

But Darnold isn’t ready, and putting him back out there — especially against a Super Bowl contender like the Patriots — would be foolish.

Darnold has plenty of time left this season to continue what has turned out to be a painful apprenticeship, so there’s no need to hasten the process by exposing him to further injury.

The decision is an easy one.

Darnold needs to sit at least another week.

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”