Rookie QB Sam Darnold dealing with growing pains 

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Sam Darnold may not handle himself like a rookie, but he’s going through some of the same struggles many first-year quarterbacks do. The defenses he’s seeing are new to him. He’s not making as many plays as he wants to, and he’s turning the ball over too much.

Darnold’s 10 interceptions, tied for the most in the NFL, and the Jets’ 3-5 record bother him the most. But Darnold remains confident and believes all of these experiences will make him a better quarterback.

“Guy’s first year in the NFL is usually a tough one, I’m aware of that,” Darnold said after practice Wednesday. “At the same time, we have certain standards here and expectations of winning. I don’t really use that as an excuse, but sure I’m aware of certain struggles that guys had in their first year.

“It’s tough. It’s NFL football. It’s tough defenses. They’re doing some different things that I’ve never seen before. We’ve been preparing really well every single week. We just got to continue to do that. That will continue to help me throughout the year.”

Darnold is going through a rough patch. Over the last two games, he is 31-for-71 (43.7 percent) for 359 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions and a passer rating of 51.3. For the season, he has completed 54.5 percent of his passes for 1,705 yards and 11 touchdowns, with a quarterback rating of 74.5 percent.

His completion percentage is next to last among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 100 passes. (Only Bills rookie Josh Allen’s is lower.) Darnold also has the third-lowest passer rating, trailing Allen and another rookie, Josh Rosen of the Cardinals.

“I’m always looking to improve,” Darnold said. “I guess I’m happy with the way I’ve played. I feel I’ve stayed poised. I’ve done my job every week. But in that same breath I could always do a better job protecting the football.

“Ten picks, it’s not ideal. You don’t want turnovers. I felt I’ve been doing a good job lately of taking care of the football. If I can just do that, I think I’ll be all right.”

The Jets will play the Dolphins Sunday in Miami, and Darnold again could be without some of his top targets. Quincy Enunwa (ankle) and Robby Anderson (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday. Both missed Sunday’s loss in Chicago, in which Darnold threw for a season-low 153 yards.

Darnold said he takes these losses home with him, especially when the offense staggers. But it’s not all on him. His running game has been dismal the last two weeks, and the Jets committed five false-start penalties against the Bears, slowing and stunting drives. The Jets have scored only 27 points in their last two games, both losses, and only the Bills, 49ers and Jaguars scored fewer in that period.

“As a quarterback you feel a little bit of a responsibility,” Darnold said. “Everyone on the offense should. We feel a little bit of a responsibility to put the ball in the end zone and make drives. We want seven points every time. Even if we get three, that’s a win for us.”

Todd Bowles continues to talk about the growth Darnold has made in getting in and out of the huddle, calling audibles and understanding the game. Bowles said the game has slowed down for Darnold. Bowles thought he did a good job of protecting the football against the Bears – it was only his second zero-interception game. But he said the Jets have to cut down on the turnovers.

“You never like interceptions,” Bowles said. “I don’t like takeaways, period. Some he would like to have back. Some we can do things not to have that happen, whether it’s the offensive line, whether it’s the receivers, whether it’s the quarterback. We got to do a better job taking care of the ball.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.