Looks like Jets-Bills will be Sam Darnold vs. Josh Allen, Round 1
It looks like we will get the first chapter of Sam Darnold versus Josh Allen on Sunday in Buffalo, the first of what could be many battles in the AFC East between the two rookie quarterbacks.
Darnold and Allen were the second and third quarterbacks selected in this year’s draft. The Jets took Darnold with the No. 3 pick and Allen went No. 7 to Buffalo, setting up a quarterback rivalry that both teams hopes lasts a long time.
Neither quarterback was healthy for the teams’ first meeting last month — which led to Josh McCown versus Matt Barkley, not quite as sexy a matchup.
Allen returned from his elbow injury two weeks ago. Darnold practiced fully on Wednesday and is expected to be the starter Sunday after missing the past three games with a sprained right foot.
Darnold and Allen both trained for the draft with QB guru Jordan Palmer in California, so they got to know each other. They spent a lot of time together leading up to the draft and have talked about how cool it will be to compete against each other in the same division.
“The dude’s a freak athlete,” Darnold said of Allen. “He’s so big and runs so fast and can throw the ball a mile. He’s a handful for defenses all around the league.
“I know, like I’ve had, there are some different looks that you go against than college. Just like I’ve been having, he’s had some rookie struggles and not seeing some of the defenses. I think for both of us it’s just about continuing to get those reps, but Josh has been doing amazing. I know he’s been scrambling, making some plays. I know he had 100 and something yards rushing. He’s a great athlete — a really big dude that can throw the ball really far. He’s always a handful to stop.”
Allen has impressed since returning two weeks ago against the Jaguars. He has done it with his arm as well as his feet. He rushed for 135 yards Sunday against the Dolphins after rushing for 99 yards against Jacksonville.
“We knew about the strong arm and everything else, but he’s been running,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “The last two games he’s run for over 200 yards by himself. That’s impressive in its own right. He’s a dual threat, more of a dual threat than we thought he was coming into the league.”
The most impressive thing about Allen remains his arm strength. He has wowed people with some of his throws downfield.
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“He has a cannon,” Jets safety Jamal Adams said.
Bowles said he can’t think of a quarterback with a stronger arm since John Elway played.
Bowles declined to say if Darnold will be his starter on Sunday, but all indications are that he will be back. He practiced fully Wednesday for the first time since suffering the injury on Nov. 4, and he was the first quarterback in team drills during the period of practice open to the media.
“He’s got to stay healthy and he’s got to get the rust off and he’s got to get the game plan down,” Bowles said. “He got reps last week. We’ll continue to get him reps this week and monitor it as it goes along and make a decision toward the end of the week.”
Darnold said he is ready to play.
“That’s the goal,” Darnold said. “I’m really excited about this week and where we’re headed. I’m really excited about how I felt today. As of right now, I’m really excited about hopefully getting to play on Sunday.”
It might be a little chilly for Southern California Sam in Buffalo on Sunday, where the high temperature is forecast to be 33 degrees. Darnold prepared for that on Wednesday by practicing in similar temperatures with a short-sleeve shirt on and a wetsuit underneath his pads.
“I felt great at practice today. I know it might be a little bit colder in Buffalo,” Darnold said. “Honestly, I’ll deal with it when it gets here. When I go up to Buffalo and it’s really cold, I’m going to have to deal with it somehow.”
