WATCH: Jets QB Sam Darnold reacts to Andrew Luck's abrupt retirement
The New York Jets fell to the New Orleans Saints on Saturday night by a score of 28-13.
The game that was once widely considered to be the 'dress rehearsal' for the regular season was riddled with penalties and egregious mistakes. As is the case with most preseason affairs, the game featured the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Here are some of the postgame highlights:
Sam Darnold on Andrew Luck's retirement: "It sucks for the NFL to lose such a talented player. We were all looking forward to seeing him play great football this year. It's a bummer for the whole league."
My take: Andrew Luck's retirement shocked the NFL world on Saturday night. As his peer, Darnold can appreciate where Andrew is coming from more than most. Walking away in the prime of his career is something that he chose to do. He left the game better than when he found it. Sam spoke for everyone by saying we were all looking forward to seeing him play great football this year.
Adam Gase: "The throw on the TD was really good. Sometimes he makes throws and I'm not really sure how he completes them."
My take: While it took more than a few series for Darnold to get into a rhythm, he settled in by the fourth series and made some nice completions, particularly to Robby Anderson, to keep drives alive. His night was culminated by the short, over the shoulder toss to Montgomery for the team's only score of the evening. Darnold is the classic case of a young quarterback that simply needed reps to build momentum heading into his second NFL season.
Adam Gase: "It was good to see the kicker go out there and hammer a couple of good ones."
My take: The journeyman kicker stepped up and showed off his range with a booming 56-yard field goal attempt. Looking far and away like the best kicker in camp, Gase's comment was telling in terms of what he thinks of his 26-year-old kicker. For the moment, his spot on the roster seems safe.
Adam Gase: "Way too many [penalties]. Way too many on special teams. We have a lot to address on that."
My take: A penalty fest of a game, it was largely unwatchable. The game totaled an astounding 31 penalties. While many of the players that were on the field, particularly in the latter stages of the game, likely won't be on the 53-man roster after cutdown day -- but some will. After hammering home the fundamentals during training camp all summer, it's a little unnerving to see players come unglued in live action.
