It wasn’t the most suspenseful story ever told, but the Jets were steadfast this week about not naming Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Darnold practiced in full all week and didn’t get an injury designation on Friday, which seemed to make it natural that he would return to the starting lineup after missing three games with a foot injury. Head coach Todd Bowles insisted the team would not make a decision about starting Darnold or Josh McCown until Sunday.
It’s now Sunday and the Jets have officially let the cat out of the bag. Darnold will start the 10th game of his rookie season while fellow first-rounder Josh Allen gets the nod for Buffalo.
Neither played in the first meeting between the teams as Matt Barkley piloted the Bills past the McCown-led Jets in a 41-10 laugher. Should all go well for both rookie quarterbacks, there will be a lot more matchups between them in the future.