Nine months without football, and the wait was worth every single second for Jets fans who tuned in to watch Sam Darnold begin a new era of Jets football. Early on it felt an awful lot like so many seasons the preceded it, but that was short-lived as the Jets would pound Detroit in every facet of the game.
Darnold would start the contest by dropping back, rolling right and throwing left on a ball that was picked off by Lions cornerback Quandre Diggs who would take it all the way back for a score, giving the Lions an early 6-0 lead that would turn to 7-0 following the point after. From that point on, it was all Darnold and the Jets.
After the rough start, Darnold would go 16-20 for 198 yards and a pair of touchdowns. One being a 41-yard bomb to Robby Anderson, and the other a 21-yard score to Quincy Enunwa, who looked to be every bit of his former self as he led the team in both receptions and yards in hauling in 6 balls for 63 yards.
Aside from Darnold’s two touchdowns through the air, the Jets would get a 62-yard rushing score from Isaiah Crowell, a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown from Andre Roberts and a defensive score from linebacker Darron Lee on what was his first of two interceptions.
Lee had his pair of interceptions and the Jets had five as a team with Trumaine Johnson, Morris Claiborne and Jamal Adams each coming away with a pick. For Adams, it was his first career interception.
It wasn’t just through the air the Jets defense was dominant, but on the ground they managed to hold the Lions to 39 yards on fifteen carries.
Offense, defense and special teams; all three phases dominated. A perfect start to what fans hope will be a memorable season.