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PHILADELPHIA - At least now we can all stop pretending.
In case it wasn't clear before - and really, it was - Sam Darnold is going to be the Jets' Opening Day starting quarterback. It doesn't matter if Todd Bowles is ready to announce it or not, it's unofficially official. And it became that the moment Josh McCown started this meaningless, fourth preseason game.
Obviously the starters usually sit for most of this game. Also, if Darnold needed to show the coaches anything else - anything at all - Bowles would've given him a series or two.
Instead, they kept the 21-year-old Darnold safe on the sidelines. The next time anyone sees him on the field, he'll be taking his first regular-season NFL snap on the Jets' first play from Detroit on Monday night, Sept. 10.
- Josh McCown, in his first action since the first series of the first preseason game, played into the second quarter and completed 3 of 8 passes for 26 yards. Maybe Bowles sees something I don't, but I don't think that's going to be enough for him to edge out Darnold for the starting job.
- By the way, was playing a 39-year-old backup in this meaningless preseason game against a bunch of kids on the Eagles defense desperate to make the team a really good idea? Lost in the excitement of the third-round pick the Jets got for Teddy Bridgewater is that their rookie superstar now has a sometimes-fragile, 39-year-old backup. And if McCown gets hurt they'll have to find a veteran backup somewhere. Hmmm … I wonder if Teddy Bridgewater is available.
- Jason Myers nailed a 58-yard field goal in the first quarter, which might have been the most impressive highlight of this otherwise meaningless (and boring) game. It was also significant, because it probably solidified his place as the Jets' kicker this season. He added a 43-yard field goal later, but that was really just piling on.
- In a crowded field of mediocre receivers trying to make the Jets' roster, Charone Peake separated himself from the pack, but not in a good way. He drew a penalty on the Jets' first punt for running out of bounds before he came back in on coverage. Then, on the next series, he had a terrible drop on what would've been a first down. He had two catches for 29 yards in the first three preseason games, so his bubble may have popped.
- Speaking of bubbles popping, another one who will be sweating the final cuts on Saturday is WR Chad Hansen, the Jets' fourth-round pick from a year ago. He added a dropped pass (and a poor route) to an unimpressive summer resume. The Jets had such high hopes for him a year ago, but he's done nothing to earn a spot. If he keeps it, it's because they don't want to give up on a mid-round pick after one year.
- RB Trent Cannon dropped a couple of passes - including one right on his hands when he was wide open in the flat -- which is notable because he seems to have a hands issue. It's been more apparent on punt and kick returns, but it's been noticeable this summer in the passing game too. He's a sixth-round pick and the Jets like him so he's not going anywhere. His speed gives him a lot of potential, but it doesn't seem like the Jets will trust him enough to use him a lot this year. If he can learn to hold onto the ball, though, he could be an asset in the return game.
- Christian Hackenberg, the much-celebrated former second-round pick of the Jets (and formerly an albatross around the neck of Jets GM Mike Maccagnan) saw his first - and possibly last - action of his post-Jets career. It wasn't a good start. On the first play he was sacked. Then his team took an illegal formation penalty. Then a delay of game penalty. Then he threw a nice, 15-yard completion showing a flash of his talent. And then on the next play, Jets CB Juston Burris read his eyes, jumped in front of an Eagles receiver, picked off the pass and was one illegal blindside block away from returning it for a touchdown. … Things got better after that (Just kidding. No they didn't).