Jets' Sam Darnold Expected to Miss Patriots Game with Shoulder Injury

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase announced Saturday quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to miss Monday night's Week 9 game against the New England Patriots because of a shoulder injury.

Andy Vasquez of USA Today reported the update and noted veteran backup Joe Flacco will likely draw the start for the Jets. ESPN's Rich Cimini provided further details from Gase about Darnold:

The 23-year-old USC product previously missed two games, losses to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5 and Miami Dolphins in Week 6, with the shoulder injury.

He returned to play in losses against the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Monday an MRI on the shoulder showed "reaggravation" of the injury, but the quarterback hoped to play through it.

Flacco has struggled in three appearances this season. He's compiled a 51.9 percent completion rate, one touchdown and one interception. He's received a terrible 40.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

Darnold hasn't performed any better, though. He's completed 58.6 percent of his throws for 1,045 yards with three scores and six picks in six games.

Those quarterback numbers are part of a larger problem encompassing the Jets offense, which has lacked playmakers. Wide receivers Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims have all missed time with injuries, while running back Le'Veon Bell was released leaving 37-year-old Frank Gore to lead the backfield.

The reality for the Jets is they are trending toward the first overall pick and that's the best thing that could happen to the franchise. Winning four or five games and then missing out on either Clemson's Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State's Justin Fields would be a setback.

That's not to say Darnold is a bust. He hasn't been dealt a strong hand in New York with a lackluster roster around him and a Gase-led coaching staff that's on the hot seat as the losses rack up. But he's amassed 39 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in 32 games. That's not good enough.

He could go on to find success elsewhere, but the odds are the Jets will be moving forward with either Lawrence or Fields leading their offense in 2021 and beyond.

New York has a bye after Monday's clash with the Pats, which will give Darnold some extra time to recover. His next chance to play will come Nov. 22 against the Los Angeles Chargers.