The Eagles won’t have to worry about Sam Darnold this weekend.
While the Jets (0-3) were holding out hope that their starting quarterback would get medically cleared, it didn’t happen. On Friday morning, they officially ruled him out.
Darnold’s spleen is still enlarged from a bout with mononucleosis. Darnold has played just one game this season. If Darnold played this weekend, he would be in serious danger. It takes a long time to get over mono and the enlarged spleen is a really dangerous situation.
Here’s what Darnold said earlier in the week:
It’s a tough thing because you want to stay safe. I want to make sure that I’m safe out there and that, you know, I’m not going to die.
Jets testing Sam Darnold today to see if his spleen is still swollen
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 4, 2019
If his spleen is still enlarged, he can’t play because he could die if he’s hit in that area and it ruptures
“I want to make sure that I’m safe out there and I'm not going to die” 👀 pic.twitter.com/GrIXIswUIy
Jets head coach Adam Gase might want to work on his body language. He wasn’t exactly exuding confidence as he announced that his QB was out.
Sam Darnold will not play on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/KJ6znQi0U4
— SNY (@SNYtv) October 4, 2019
I guess I understand why, though.
With Darnold out, the Jets will start backup Luke Falk. This will be Falk’s second-career start. And his first-career start came against the Patriots in Week 3 and it did not go well. The 2018 sixth-round pick was 12 for 22 with 98 yards and an interception.
Here’s a reminder of what the Jets’ offense did with Luke Falk at QB against the Patriots in Week 3:
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) October 3, 2019
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
End of half
INT
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
TOD
The #Eagles have no reason to not blow this team out on Sunday.
Of course, the Eagles’ defense isn’t exactly filled with world-beaters right now either. They have real issues at the cornerback position because of injuries. This will be a battle of the league’s worst passing offense vs. the league’s worst passing defense.
Buckle up.
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