Rookie QB Darnold dazzles in Jets debut
Sam Darnold rolled right and made a rookie move, lobbing a football across the field that was picked off and returned for a touchdown.
It might’ve been his only mistake all night.
Darnold made a stellar debut after throwing a pick-6 on his first NFL snap, and the New York Jets intercepted five passes and also scored on special teams in a 48-17 rout over the Detroit Lions on Monday night.
The 21-year-old Darnold became the youngest quarterback to start a season opener since the 1970 AFLNFL merger, and looked his age on the first play.
“Licking my chops a little bit too much, I think, on that play,” he said
Quandre Diggs intercepted his ill-advised pass and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown 20 seconds into the game.
“On that interception, I was pretty nervous,” Darnold said. “After that, I put it behind me.”
The former USC star, drafted No. 3 overall, shook
off the nerves and finished 16 of 21 for 198 yards and two touchdowns .
“He didn’t flinch,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “He didn’t even blink.”
Darnold helped the Jets set a franchise record for points on the road, surpassing the 47 they scored in 1967 against the Boston Patriots.
He also outplayed 30-year-old Matthew Stafford.
Stafford threw four interceptions
— one shy of his career high — and left the game briefly in the third quarter after being hit from the front and back by the swarming, hard-hitting Jets.
The Jets dominated in all phases, scoring 31 straight in the third quarter to pull away, sending Detroit’s fans for the exits and setting off a jolly green party in the Motor City. It was the highest-scoring third quarter in team history and trailed only the 34-point second quarter the Brett Favre-led team scored in 2008 against Arizona.
Packers await word on Rodgers’ knee
Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy needs more information on the extent of Aaron Rodgers’ knee injury to determine the quarterback’s availability for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
Rodgers was sore when the team returned to Lambeau Field on Monday, McCarthy said. The Packers reviewed the thrilling 24-23 win on Sunday night over the Chicago Bears, in which Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter after returning from an injury.
The Packers return to the practice field Wednesday, when the first injury report for Week 2 is due.
“We do have some information and no decision has been made. We’re still collecting all the information,” said McCarthy, who added he did not think it would take the whole week to determine Rodgers’ availability.
Rodgers left in the second quarter against the Bears on a cart after slipping to the turf during a sack and reaching back for the back of his left leg. Rodgers had ACL surgery on his left knee in college. But he was cleared to return at halftime and came back out for the Packers’ first series of the third quarter.
Operating a no-huddle offense, but staying primarily in the pocket, Rodgers engineered a comeback from a 20-0 deficit early in the third quarter.
Titans’ Walker to have surgery on right ankle
Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker will have surgery on his right ankle in the next few days, and Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said the Titans will decide if the veteran might be able to return later this season.
The Titans placed Walker on injured reserve and signed tight end MyCole Pruitt off Houston’s practice squad.
Around the league
The Seattle Seahawks were still waiting to learn the severity of the injury to Doug Baldwin’s right knee. Baldwin sprained the MCL in the knee early in Sunday’s loss to Denver ... Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich confirmed right tackle J’Marcus Webb injured his hamstring late in Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati. Reich did not provide a timetable for his return.Indy played Sunday without longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo because of a hamstring injury or projected starting right tackle Denzelle Good because of knee and wrist injuries . ... Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera offered no immediate updates on injuries to three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen and second-team All-Pro right tackle Daryl Williams the day after were sidelined. Olsen re-injured the right foot the same one he fractured last season causing him to miss nine games early on. He spent the second half of the Cowboys game watching from the sideline on crutches.