I recently began re-watching all of Sam Darnold’s

throws from the 2018 season Quinnen Williams New York Jets Jersey , going game-by-game charting his production by route type.In addition, I’ve broken down his numbers based on a few..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteGang Green Nationa New York Jets communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsJetsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Jets StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Jets NewsYahoo Jets Team PageYahoo Jets ReportYahoo Jets Depth ChartYahoo Jets TransactionsYahoo Jets PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Sam Darnold’s production broken down by route type: Games 7-8New,12commentsEDTShareTweetShareShareSam Darnold’s production broken down by route type: Games 7-8Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY SportsI recently began re-watching all of Sam Darnold’s throws from the 2018 season, going game-by-game charting his production by route type.In addition, I’ve broken down his numbers based on a few different factors, including field side, number of rushers, and throw depth. I also decided to track the frequency of select notable occurrences, such as a tally of Darnold’s total “improvised” production (a revered staple of his), and a count of drops, among other things.Previously, I ran through a few of the most notable statistical tidbits I found from tracking Darnold in his Week 5 and Week 6 outings, against the Broncos and Colts. Today we’ll move on to his seventh and eighth games, a pair of NFC North battles against the Vikings and Bears.Before we start diving in, here is a look at the collection of route types I’ve been tracking.Obviously, there is a seemingly infinite number of complex route concepts that could not possibly fit in that picture. I went with a simplified collection of 15 route types. I thought this lineup was perfect for having enough variety to capture every throw while not going overboard with specificity.It’s sometimes difficult to tell exactly what route a receiver is trying to run. Other times, there will be instances where a receiver will run a more complex route that features a combination of multiple routes seen above, such as an out-and-up or slant-and-go among others. I assigned route types based on the nature of the throw for Darnold. Whichever route type best matched the angle, depth, and overall essence of the throw Darnold had to make, would be the one I’d go with.Weeks 7 and 8 marked the first two of three straight rough outings for Darnold before his three-game absence due to injury. The circumstances were tough, as Darnold took on two of the league’s top four DVOA defenses while the Jets offense was riddled by injuries.Let’s take a look at how the cookie crumbled for Darnold near the midway point of his rookie year.Vikings 37, Jets 17. Darnold: 17 for 42 Red Quinnen Williams Jersey , 206 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions (34.4 passer rating, 4.9 yards per attempt)The Vikings game was arguably Darnold’s only home outing of the season in which his performance could not be described as at least “solid”. His 40.5% completion rate and 4.9 yards per attempt both finished as season lows.While he didn’t receive much help against a formidable opponent, Darnold still struggled a lot in his own right. Over the first three quarters, outside of a drive in the first where he completed three straight passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, Darnold completed 5 of 19 passes for 14 yards. That’s 0.7 yards per attempt. Which. . . . isn’t very good.There were a few particular splits where Darnold really struggled in this one. Against zone coverage, Darnold completed 8 of 22 passes for 75 yards (3.4 per attempt) and only two first downs (9.1%). He also couldn’t get the downfield game going. Darnold’s average attempt distance against Minnesota was a season high 10.9 yards downfield. He attempted eight throws over 20 yards downfield, but only completed one of them.Darnold threw for only seven first downs. There was only one route that he picked up a first down on more than once, which was the out route. Darnold relied on the out route more than any other variety in this game, completing 3 of 7 for 39 yards and two firsts.In Darnold’s defense, he didn’t get much support in this one. Jets running backs picked up only 53 yards on 18 carries (2.9 per attempt). Darnold also suffered from four drops, which by my tracking was the highest single-game total for the Jets through that point of the season. He had a handful of eye-popping throws, however. Sterling drops this pass, one of Darnold’s best throws of the afternoon.Darnold also had this really nice dime to Trenton Cannon on the wheel route.Bears 24, Jets 10. Darnold: 14 for 29, 153 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions (75.8 passer rating, 5.3 yards per attempt)The Jets were without both Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa in Week 8. As a result, Darnold had to go up against the league’s best defense on the road with a wide receiver group headlined by Jermaine Kearse, Andre Roberts, Charone Peake 2019 Quinnen Williams Jersey , and Deontay Burnett.Darnold wasn’t necessarily “good” in this game, but I thought he did just about all that he could given the circumstances. The Jets could not get anybody open in this game. There were many snaps where Darnold either had no options or could only try a tight-window throw a handful of yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The Bears had arguably the most talented defense in the league last year, and unsurprisingly, they absolutely clobbered the second-string Jets unit.Here are a few examples of what a typical snap looked like in that game. (Soldier Field’s all-22 view can be tough to see, so I provided some very excellently drawn blue circles to help point out the blanketed Jets receivers.)A few numbers help showcase how much the Jets receivers struggled to separate in this game. The Bears broke up six passes that afternoon, a total that is 50% higher than their season average of 4.0, which was third-best in the NFL. Darnold was also forced to throw the ball away five times, which by my tracking was a season high to that point of the year.Darnold had some stark splits against the Bears. He did much better against man matchups than zone. He completed 10 of 14 attempts for 132 yards and seven first downs when throwing to receivers covered man-to-man. Against zone, he completed 4 of 10 passes for 21 yards and one first down. Darnold did a good job taking advantage of the rare 1-on-1 victories by his receivers, but could not buy a successful play underneath against zone coverages.I wanted to point out a few trends I’ve noticed from Darnold over the games I’ve tracked so far.So far, I’ve taken note that on a few different types of throws, Darnold has seen dramatic differences in production based on field side. Darnold has had a substantially better deep game throwing to his left. On go, post, corner, fade, and wheel routes, here is a comparison of Darnold’s production by field side through eight games.Left: 14 for 26, 358 yards (13.8 Y/A), 13 first downs (50%), 7 touchdowns, 3 interceptions drop.Right: 4 for 18, 72 yards (4.0 Y/A), 4 first downs (22%) Men Quinnen Williams Jersey , 1 touchdown, 1 interceptionAdditionally, Darnold has much more success throwing to his left on out-breaking routes toward the sideline. On out and comeback routes, here is a comparison of Darnold’s production by field side so far.Left: 13 for 17, 141 yards (8.3 Y/A), 7 first downs (41%)Right: 5 for 17, 51 yards (3.0 Y/A), 2 first downs (12%)In contrast, Darnold has been more successful on in-breaking routes when throwing to his right. Here is a comparison of Darnold’s production by field side on slant and dig routes.Left: 7 for 16, 107 yards (6.7 Y/A), 5 first downs (31%), 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptionsRight: 14 for 23, 280 yards (12.2 Y/A), 12 first downs (52%), 1 touchdown, 1 interceptionIs there meaning to these splits, or are they mere coincidence?One theory that I think could be behind these numbers is the Robby Anderson factor. Just about all of Anderson’s deep production with Darnold through this point has been on the left side. Could the threat that Anderson provides on the left be opening up breaks toward the middle of the field for the right side? Looking back at the Week 6 game against the Colts, it seems like this idea very much could have been in play. Jermaine Kearse feasted on slants from the right side, while Anderson consistently attracted help over the top on the left. With that game coming one week after Anderson roasted Denver with left side go routes, it makes sense that the Colts would be making it a point to avoid suffering the same fate the Broncos did. I’m very curious to see if these trends hold up over Darnold’s next five games.Here is a look at Darnold’s route type breakdown through his first eight games of 2018.Previous breakdowns:Weeks 1-2 (@ Detroit and vs Miami)Weeks 3-4 (@ Cleveland and @ Jacksonville)Weeks 5-6 (vs Denver and vs Indianapolis)Jets 34 Broncos 16: Finally Something Positive The Jets defeated the Denver Broncos today at MetLife Stadium 34-16. The win ends New York’s three game losing streak and puts the team’s record at 2-3 through five games. Let’s break down what happened.The GoodIsaiah Crowell: Crowell has been a hot topic of conversation of late for a silly penalty he took two week ago against the Browns and an endorsement deal that followed. It wasn’t discussed as much, but he had a really rough game against Jacksonville last week.He put that all behind him with a career game. Crowell ran for 219 yards on only 15 carries. His 77 yard touchdown run put the Jets on the board in the second quarter. This was a brilliant game for the free agent signing. When the Jets needed a physical run, he provided it such as the the Domata Peko tackle he broke to create a first down. When he saw daylight Womens Lac Edwards Jersey , he exploded.Bilal Powell: While not as explosive as Crowell, Powell also had an excellent day on the ground. He was over the century mark, but at late loss as the Jets were running out the clock, and the Broncos were selling out against the run prevented him from joining Crowell in the 100 yard club.Offensive Line: You could find some quibbles. Spencer Long struggled with some shotgun snaps. The tackles didn’t cut edge guys on timing routes, one of which led to an interception. Still, the Jets controlled the trenches. This unit has been much-maligned for its poor play over the last month, but a strong performance today made all of the difference. Sam Darnold had clean pockets. The Broncos generated only a single sack, and the Jets ran for 323 yards. The backs deserve their share of credit, but so did the line.Robby Anderson: Anderson and Sam Darnold finally made a few connections in this game. Robby had 3 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. The first touchdown was mainly Anderson’s doing as he got wide open deep. The second was mainly Darnold’s doing as he threw a perfect pass to a covered receiver. It was nice to see Anderson finally create some separation and for him to finally show some chemistry with his quarterback.Sam Darnold: At 10 for 22 with 198 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, Darnold’s completion percentage doesn’t look great in the box score. His efficiency rate and touchdowns sure do, though. I think the efficiency and touchdowns do a better job telling the story of his performance. A number of Darnold’s incompletions were accurate throws that his receivers couldn’t haul in. He arguably lost two touchdowns to missed pass interference penalties. His one interception really wasn’t his fault.None of this means Darnold is heading for the All Pro team this year. He’ll still have games like we saw against Cleveland and Jacksonville. It still is good to see him bounce back from a few rough weeks and show that he does indeed have a deep ball.Leonard Williams: People have been waiting for a game where Williams didn’t simply quietly win his assignments and do dirty work effectively. Jets fans want to see him take games over. Consider it done. Williams had 5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 hits, and 2 tackles for a loss. To the extent an interior lineman can be responsible for shutting down an offense, Williams did it in this game.Morris Claiborne: With Trumaine Johnson out, Claiborne had to step into the top cornerback slot. He did so admirably. When the Broncos tested him, he was in good coverage and in position to break up passes.Henry Anderson: Anderson continued his strong play working side by side with Williams in the trenches.The BadQuincy Enunwa: Based on their production and chemistry with Darnold, it almost seemed like Enunwa and Anderson switched bodies in this game. The Jets’ top receiver just didn’t seem in sync with his quarterback at all. He was shut out.Darryl Roberts: Roberts lost in coverage on a number of occasions and wasn’t a strong tackler aside from one play.Parry Nickerson: I was surprised the Broncos didn’t make more of an effort to pick on him. It felt like they had success whenever they went after the rookie......................................This win doesn’t mean everything is suddenly right with the Jets, but it finally gives this team something positive after a miserable three weeks.