Why Sam Darnold Has Had Jets-Rams Circled On His Schedule All Year Long

When the Jets' schedule for 2020 was released earlier this year, quarterback Sam Darnold circled a few games throughout the season. Week 15 in Los Angeles was one of them.

Darnold, who played college ball at USC and grew up in Southern California, has yet to play in Los Angeles as a pro since being drafted in 2018.

"I marked this one down," Darnold told reporters in a Zoom call on Thursday. "I was looking forward to going home, seeing some family if possible, but obviously that’s not a thing."

Darnold added that last weekend in Seattle was another game that he was particularly looking forward to. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Darnold couldn't experience being back on the West Coast the same way he hoped.

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New York played in Los Angeles a few weeks ago as well, but Joe Flacco made the start at quarterback. Darnold was in the midst of sitting out for four of six games with a right shoulder injury.

Asked how he's been able to manage coronavirus protocols this year, impacting his ability to see how family throughout the season, Darnold assured it's not too big of a deal.

"With FaceTime and everything now, I don’t think it’s that big of deal, I mean, they probably do. But no, I get to FaceTime and stuff before games, I see them enough," Darnold said. "The Jets here do a great job with testing family if they want to come for Thanksgiving or Christmas, so I’ve been able to see them a little bit."

Darnold, 23, has struggled mightily to get it going through the air this year. Through nine games played in 2020, the former first-rounder has thrown for 1,560 yards with only five touchdowns and nine interceptions. Entering Week 15, he's among the league's worst quarterbacks with a 58.4 completion percentage, 173.3 yards per game, 36.1 QBR and a 67.3 passer rating.

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