Sam Darnold makes PFF’s Preseason Team of the Week

Sam Darnold, Jets

The rave reviews continue for rookie QB Sam Darnold following an impressive showing in the Jets first preseason game.

The No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft showed great poise, completing 13 of 18 passes, including an impressive 14-yard touchdown strike prior to halftime, helping lead New York to a 17-0 victory.

His performance on Friday earned him a spot on Pro Football Focus’ Preseason Team of the Week with a grade of 80.8 for the evening.

Darnold looked every bit the top-five pick against the Falcons on Friday night. He was accurate on 15 of his 19 attempts, collecting 100 yards and a score. It was a fairly conservative outing with only one deep target all game, but at the same time he protected the ball extremely well.

Darnold will get his chance for an encore this week against the Redskins and may do so behind New York’s starting offensive line.

For the second consecutive day, the former USC Trojan took the lion’s share of reps in practice and even though Jets coach Todd Bowles refuses to name a starter, all signs are pointing to Darnold getting a shot on Friday night in Washington.

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