Sam Darnold is confident enough in his New York Jets to make the leap of faith and drop the word “playoffs” just before Week 1.
Easy now, folks. Yes, Sam Darnold said the word: playoffs. The second-year New York Jets quarterback thinks he’s on a playoff roster if all things go according to plan.
Gary Myers of The Athletic asked Darnold point blank if the Jets were a playoff team.
“This is definitely a playoff team,” Darnold said. “There’s some steps that need to be made along the way. With the maturity on this team that we have right now, I think we got the guys to do it.”
The offensive line is improved, the receiving corps is healthy, and Le’Veon Bell is in the backfield to take some pressure off of Darnold’s shoulders.
Of course, as Darnold notes, “there’s some steps that need to be made along the way.”
But this is exactly what any NFL team wants their quarterback to say. The Jets are not a trendy pick to make the playoffs, but if Darnold takes a big leap forward, the playoffs are a definite possibility.
Obviously, with the New England Patriots in the AFC East, the most likely avenue for a Jets playoff berth would be through the Wild Card. It’s not inconceivable that New York could surge to nine wins and sneak into the playoffs.
Darnold and the Jets will look to start the long trek to the playoffs on Sunday afternoon against a division rival—the Buffalo Bills. The schedule stiffens up after Week 1, making the Bills game a very important win to secure
