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| New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (14) gets set to throw a pass in the second quarter of a preseason game against the New York Giants on August 24, 2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
By The Sports Xchange
The New York Jets finally confirmed what many suspected Monday when they announced rookie Sam Darnold will be the starting quarterback for their season opener next Monday night against the Detroit Lions.
The 21-year-old will become the youngest quarterback to start in Week 1 since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Darnold is 21 years, 97 days old and will surpass Drew Bledsoe, who was 21 years, 203 days of age when he made his debut for the New England Patriots in 1993.
The announcement was hardly a surprise given Darnold's effective performances in the second and third preseason games. The Jets dealt Teddy Bridgewater to the New Orleans Saints last week and Darnold sat out the preseason finale, which usually was a clue that the No. 3 overall pick had won the job.
During a preseason competition with Bridgewater and incumbent Josh McCown, Darnold finished 29 of 45 for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jets drafted Darnold after he started 24 games for USC and he will be tested immediately with three games in 11 days. New York hosts Miami in its home opener on Sept. 16 and then visits Cleveland four days later.
Darnold was among five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and will be the only one to start in Week 1 as Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals) and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) will be backups.
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