It took one month and five days, but the Jets are in the win column.
With Sam Darnold back under center, New York finally put together a complete game and downed the Cowboys by a final score of 24-22 to give Adam Gase his first win as head coach.
The Jets seized the momentum early and never relinquished it, jumping on the Cowboys with a touchdown in the first quarter and a 21-6 lead built up by halftime.
For the first time this season, here are four takeaways from a Jets’ win.
This team is different with Sam Darnold
The Jets are a completely different monster when Sam Darnold is on the field.
Forget about the fact that New York’s offensive playbook opens up when Darnold is the one throwing the ball. With Darnold under center, the Jets have juice that they didn’t have when Luke Falk was manning the position. After being essentially lethargic since Darnold went down after Week 1, New York was energized on both sides of the ball once again.
This is a different team now that Darnold is back. It remains to be seen how many wins that will translate to as the season progresses, but there’s no denying that Darnold is a game-changer.
Darnold’s got guts
Darnold spent a month away from football due to an enlarged spleen that couldn’t afford to take any hits. Back under center against the Cowboys, the USC product showed no hesitation despite coming off such a serious condition.
Darnold looked like his cool, calm and collected self against Dallas. He stood in the pocket and took any hits that came his way. He also put himself in harm’s way on scrambles to the middle of the field without a second thought, a testament to his will to make a play at all costs.
Not many quarterbacks throw their body around with reckless abandonment — especially ones coming off injury or illness. Darnold put his guts on full display against the Cowboys — and kept them all in-tact. You can’t ask for much more from your quarterback.
Gregg Williams pushes the right buttons
One week after orchestrating a defensive gameplan that left plenty to be desired, Gregg Williams was on his A-game against the Cowboys.
Dak Prescott was under constant duress throughout the game, as Williams’ blitz-heavy scheme lead to one sack and eight quarterback hits. It also created the game-winning play on the Cowboys’ two-point conversion attempt with less than a minute left, as Jamal Adams blitzed up the middle and forced Prescott to short-hop a pass to Jason Witten.
It certainly helped New York’s cause that the Cowboys were without both Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, as well as Amari Cooper, who was lost for the game in the first quarter. That doesn’t take away from the impact of the defensive gameplan that Williams drew up, though.
Secondary Success
The Jets’ secondary has been routinely shredded so far this season. That was not the case against the Cowboys.
Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye, Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts all stepped up and made plays throughout the course of the evening, limiting Dak Prescott to only 277 yards after he threw for 463 against the Packers in Week 5.
New York’s ability to limit the Cowboys’ passing attack was arguably the driving force behind its first win of the season. If the unit can sustain the success they achieved this week moving forward, the Jets will boast a much-needed solid pass defense.
